Yikes, it's getting a little cray cray up here in Alaska! There's all sorts of wind and rain and just straight up craziness. I guess the weather experts are calling it a storm. Listening to the news, you'd think we'd better build a bomb shelter with all this talk of emergency preparedness. I'm sorry lady news anchor, but I'm not stalking up on two gallons of water per day for potential emergencies. I'm just not. Who has that kind of space? It's crazy. I have a water filter in my backpack and a lake that's a three minute walk from my house. Who doesn't have a water filter anyway?! People, that shit's important. I feel like having a way to source potable water is much more along the lines of good emergency preparedness than just having gallon jugs of water around.
What if it's the zombie apocalypse!? Are you really going to go running through the woods from zombies with gallons of water? No. However, our water filter weighs like 5 oz. and is about the size of my hand, so...also, it's already in my backpack! I guess the moral of this post is to go buy a water filter? I don't know.
Whoa, no. This post is about this soup! Sorry, I guess I got a little off track there. Anyways, needless to say that today is just kind of a soup type of day. And what goes better with stormy weather than soup? Not much. Also, soup is kind of my main man when I don't feel like cooking. Hello beautiful.
This Kale and Red Potato Soup with Grain Sausage is so savory and delicious. There's something about a potato and sausage soup that just wraps you up in rustic comfort! It's perfect for these chilly stormy nights.
Kale and Red Potato Soup with Grain Sausage
Inspired by Skinny Taste
Serves 6-8
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 2 (6 oz. total) vegan sausage links (I used Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Grain Sausage)
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, sliced thinly
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 5 cups water
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 4 medium red potatoes, unpeeled and diced
- 1 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
- sprinkling of red pepper flakes
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1-2 bunches of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
- fresh thyme, for garnish (optional)
--A Few Notes--
I like a lot of kale in my soup so I use two bunches, but feel free to use only one. I like to split the liquid in half and use 5 cups water and 5 cups broth, but you can certainly use 10 cups of vegetable broth if you wish.
In a large soup pot, heat 1 tsp. of olive oil. Add the sausage links whole and allow them to brown for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Once browned, remove from the pot and set aside for later.
Add 1 tsp. more of olive oil and heat. Saute the diced onion and sliced carrots for about 5 minutes or until the onions have started to turn translucent. Now, add in the minced garlic and saute for a couple more minutes.
Slice the sausage now that it has cooled. Add in the remaining ingredients to the pot, including the sausage but not yet the kale. Bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, de-stem and chop the kale. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, covered.
Now, uncover, add the chopped kale, and allow to cook over high heat for about 5 more minutes, or until the kale has reached your desired texture.
I like mine to still have a little bit of sustenance but if you like to boil it into submission that's okay with me, if you like it that way. I have been accused of liking my kale a bit tough.
Serve hot and topped with fresh thyme!
I think this is a very appropriate song for today with regards to our windstorm, snowbird – The North Wind Doth Blow
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