Kale, Vegan Sausage, and White Bean Soup

This is one of my very favorite soups, perfect for a dark winter night. It’s full of healthy, fiber-filled vegetables and protein-rich beans. Normally I make this soup with diced Italian sausage but after my mother-in-law made it using Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage, it’s become my new favorite way to make it. I finally wrote down my recipe to share with you all! There’s a method for a pressure cooker and a soup pot.

My favorite meals are often a soup and that is especially true when winter rolls around here in Alaska. Ever since soup has been my jam. I remember getting a ‘soup’ cookbook from my grandma when I was below double-digits in age. #thatishowmuchilovesoup My blood is basically soup and this is one of my most beloved.

There’s a lot of recipes online for this type of soup. Basically they all involve kale, beans, and sausage… but there’s not a lot of vegan recipes, though not to worry. I got you covered. I think you’ll for sure love this soup as much as my family does. I could eat this for weeks nonstop, seriously.

Kale, Vegan Sausage, and White Bean Soup

By Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

Published 11/05/2018

This is one of my very favorite soups, perfect for a dark winter night. It’s full of healthy, fiber-filled vegetables and protein-rich beans. Normally I make this soup with diced Italian sausage but after my mother-in-law made it using Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage, it’s become my new favorite way to make it. I finally wrote down my recipe to share with you all! There’s a method for a pressure cooker and a soup pot.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14 oz package Lightlife Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• 2 15 ounce cans white cannellini or white beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 credit card size piece of kombu, broken into small pieces (optional)
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp liquid smoke
• 1 large bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
• Seasoning or table salt, to taste

Instructions

1. In a pressure cooker or large soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and softened. Add the sausage and saute an additional 5-10 minutes until somewhat browned, breaking the it into small bite-sized pieces with a wooden spatula.
2. Increase the heat to high and stir in the remaining ingredients except for the kale.
3. Using a pressure cooker: Bring to a boil and pressure cook on high for one minute. Remove from heat and allow to depressurize naturally for 10 minutes, then run cold water over the lid to completely depressurize. Stir in kale and salt according to taste; serve hot.
4. Using a soup pot: Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes then remove from heat and stir in kale. Salt according to taste; serve hot.

Yield: 8 servings

Tags: vegan, vegetarian, soup, sausage, kale, white bean, cannellini, easy, quick, healthy, potato

Now go forth and enjoy winter!

Smoked Gouda and Butternut Pasta

Sweet, roasted butternut squash coat this warm and comforting pasta while garlic and smoked gouda add a bit of richness. With so few ingredients, the stars of this dish really shine. Simple and bursting with flavor yet incredibly easy and hands off; great for a weeknight dinner. I love that this pasta is sophisticated enough for a proper dinner with company, but casual enough for a Monday meal after work. It’s one of my very favorite meals. *If smoked gouda isn’t your thing, any 4 oz of cheese will do.

Wow, it's been awhile! Summer is always a busy time: visiting with friends, doing work around the house and yard, playing with our wee man, and in general spending as much time as possible outside enjoying our gorgeous summer in Alaska. 

Now that the leaves have started to fall and the air is bitingly crisp, I feel excited to spend more time here on the blog as winter starts to slink in. I couldn't think of a better way to kick off the fall season than with a recipe I've been meaning to share for a long time.

One of my BFFs makes a butternut squash pasta with just those two ingredients and a splash of olive oil... it's to die for! I knew smoked gouda and roasted garlic would really marry beautifully with the sweet squash so I just had to experiment. This recipe will not let you down. Normally I don't cook with oil (due to Todd's rheumatoid arthritis), but don't skimp on the one tablespoon. There's no sauce in this dish, so you really need that little bit of olive oil to coat the squash and pasta. Happy cooking!

Smoked Gouda and Butternut Pasta

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

Sweet, roasted butternut squash coat this warm and comforting pasta while garlic and smoked gouda add a bit of richness. With so few ingredients, the stars of this dish really shine. Simple and bursting with flavor yet incredibly easy and hands off; great for a weeknight dinner. I love that this pasta is sophisticated enough for a proper dinner with company, but casual enough for a Monday meal after work. It’s one of my very favorite meals.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and deseeded and cut into ¾” cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, left in their peel
• 12 oz dry spaghetti
• ½ of one 8 oz. package of Miyoko's Creamery Smoked VeganMozz or vegan cheese of choice, shredded
• 1-2 tsp Johnny’s Seasoning Salt or regular table salt
• 2 tsp fresh lemon thyme, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Add the cubed squash to a large casserole dish and toss with oil. Roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes until the squash is fork tender. When there’s 20 minutes left, toss in the garlic then bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
2. Cook the pasta according to package, drain and return to pot. Peel the roasted garlic and smash it into a puree with a spoon in a small bowl. Stir the garlic, cheese, salt, and roasted squash into the pasta.
3. Serve hot and topped with fresh lemon thyme and fresh cracked black pepper.
   

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 00:50
Total time: 00:60
Yield: 4 servings

Cashew Cream Tomato Penne Pasta

This is a super quick and easy weeknight dinner that is so healthy and satisfying. It’s creamy and rich thanks to the nutritious cashew sauce yet tart and sweet. Cherry tomatoes burst in the oven alongside roasted garlic and mingle with fresh basil and miso for a sumptuous sauce that smothers hot, penne pasta.

Apparently I'm on a pasta kick?? #sorrynotsorry

This is life with a one year old... as a full-time working mom... who as of a couple of weeks ago was still pumping five times a day. Whew! Dinner must be quick and it must be easy. Quick enough that I'm not on my poor, tired feet for too long and easy enough to give that stay-at-home poppa a much needed break, while I can still keep my eye on said one year old. For some reason pasta seems to be just the ticket. Dinner has to be delicious and it better be filling: this family needs their energy.

Speaking of energy, Oliver's got a ton of it. We're loving getting outside every weekend for nordic skiing (praise be to the snow gods), where we pull the little one in the Chariot behind us. I'm thrilled that it's now light until about eight o'clock and we can get out after work for a family hike on the trails through the woods behind our house or go sledding down our ungodly long driveway (I knew it would show it's virtues eventually). 

How are you spending our weekends? Do you have tips for outdoorsing with littles? 

Cashew Cream Tomato Penne Pasta

Recipe by Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

This is a super quick and easy weeknight dinner that is so healthy and satisfying. It’s creamy and rich thanks to the nutritious cashew sauce yet tart and sweet. Cherry tomatoes burst in the oven alongside roasted garlic and mingle with fresh basil and miso for a sumptuous sauce that smothers hot, penne pasta.

Yield: 6

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz container of fresh cherry tomatoes, yellow or red (I used yellow)
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 1 lb penne pasta (we use whole wheat)
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup fresh basil
• 2 tbsp miso (we use red)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper, to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450° F and arrange the cherry tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet along with the garlic cloves, still in their skin. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes burst and the garlic is roasted. Once cooled, remove the skin from the garlic.
2. While the cherry roast, bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta and cook according to package. Reserve about 1 ½ cups of the water, then drain and return to the pot.
3. Add the garlic and tomatoes to a blender along with the remaining ingredients except of course the pasta. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Stir well into drained pasta, adding additional water as needed to thin the sauce to your liking.
4. Serve hot and topped with vegan parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes, if you like. If reheating leftovers stir a little water in for a creamier sauce.