Yield: 12 14 oz servings / 4.5 quarts
Calories: 250
Carbohydrates: 12
(approx)

This is close to the Christmas Soup I made a few weeks ago, which everyone liked a lot, but had quite a few carbohydrates in it. Since we’re cutting back on carbs for a while, I thought this would make a good low-carb soup if we just left out the potatoes and held back on the beans a bit.

Kale is close to a super-food, packed with beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, and rich in  iron, manganese, calcium and potassium. Sausage can’t claim the same nutritional value, except that it’s low in carbohydrates (2 grams / oz) and full of flavor. Even more so after we brown it a bit, to caramelize the surface.

• 3 qts Chicken Stock (Superior Touch Chicken Base – 8 tsp )
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 cups chopped celery 8 oz
• 2 cups chopped onion 8 oz
• 2 lbs smoked sausage – sliced 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick and quartered (this is a lot less bother if you quarter the sausage the long way and then cut across)
• Kale – 1 bunch, 12 oz (9 oz after removing stems – you can use frozen, but it’s not easy to find)
• White Beans – 1 14 oz can

click on image for slideshow

When we make chicken, I make chicken stock, but right now I’m out, so I’m using a concentrate for the base. The great thing about this is that you can increase the richness of the broth as much as you want by just amping up the amount. I’m trying “Superior Touch Chicken Base” which is pretty readily available in supermarkets. Since I want some for us and some to give to friends, I’m aiming for a gallon of soup, so I want three quarts of stock. 8 tbs of concentrate give me a pretty rich stock for less than a dollar a quart.

Brown the sausage in a large frying pan, for ten minutes on medium low heat. this will both give it more flavor and release some fat that we might as well use to sauté the celery and onions in, rather than add oil. Go ahead and add the browned sausage to the stock, then sauté the chopped vegetable for five minutes ore until they start to soften. Add vegetables to the stock.

Add the beans to the stock, including their liquor.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, this is a good time to clean up, and to clean and chop the kale.

Kale is grown in sandy soil, so it’s important to rinse it off well before adding it to the soup, Pull the rib (stem) off the back of each leaf, then put the leaves in a bowl of cold water and squeeze fistfuls of then like you’re wringing out a sponge. You’ll probably have to do this in a few batches. Remove the kale to a colander and drain before chopping into moderate pieces, something that will fit on a soupspoon.

Add the kale to the simmering soup, bring it back to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the kale is tender. It’s pretty chewy at first, but will soften up as it cooks.

The final simmer is my time to clean up the kitchen, so that when the soup’s done, so am I. and hopefully it will stay clean the rest of the day, ready for the week.

You’ll notice that I didn’t add salt anywhere along in here. That’s primarily because the stock and sausage are both pretty well salted to begin with, so it really didn’t need any. Go ahead and adjust to your taste at this point, then let it cool off and store or serve it up.