Day 12 & Bean Soup

Brr, it was a cold morning out compared to what it has been.  Also, even though all the windows are open at my house, my home still feels much warmer.  That wind sure is brisk!  I felt good and invigorated once again, running in the rain/mist.  It was the kinda rain that isn't big drops, but rather a barely there mist.  I am excited about completing Day 13, because I actually get to run for three minutes straight and I have a theory.

My theory is: once I complete the interval style of the 5k training I will be stronger in my all out run then when I trained without doing intervals.  Unfortunately the only way to test my hypothesis would be to have my clone (I wish) do it too.  Although, from past training, a few years ago, I should get some kind of idea if intervals are more effective for me than all out running.  In any case, I'm almost done with the chart and (knocking on wood) no injuries, which was my main concern.

The cross training has been going very well too.  Today, I biked for a total of 10 miles.  I went for a 5 mile ride this morning after my run and another 5 with Jean and Troy this afternoon.  Yes, that is my crazy, shirtless 6 yr. old picking up is bike after crashing into the front of the Reformatory.  Nobody got hurt, he's pretty good at crashing.

Bean Soup and Cornbread is something I make every Fall. Well, this time I decided to change things up a bit and tried a new recipe from my Cooking Light book.

 

Also, instead of serving it with cornbread, this time I really went crazy and served it up with a warm and crusty sourdough baguette!

 

The Cooking Light recipe is actually a vegetarian recipe that calls for two types of beans.  I am just fine with that, however the rest of my family really, REALLY likes meat.  So, to appease them, I chose one of their favorites-- smoked sausage.

 

Also, as I completely skipped the olive oil and just cooked my onions and carrots with the sausage.  That worked very well as the veggies got nice and tender and the sausage browned, I added some freshly minced garlic to the mix.

 

This is were Jean and Glenn arrived.  They inhaled deeply upon coming through the door.  Jean was trying hard to stop me from adding anything else because she was intoxicated with the scent of roasted garlic and summer sausage.

 

However, I managed to add a few cups of chicken stock, a lil' bit of red wine vinegar & fresh rosemary, tossed in a few bay leaves and a whole bunch of fresh, healthy kale. 

 

Kale is one of the healthiest foods on Earth.  I love the bright green color it changes to once it's cooked.  I just tossed it right in, put the lid on and simmered for about 10 minutes.

 

While that was cooking down, I rinsed beans.  These babies were soaked overnight and then cooked earlier today, but canned beans will work too.  I added these last since I may have overcooked them a bit earlier and I wanted them to remain on the firm side.

 

 

Lastly, I tossed in a few Parmesan cheese rinds.  The Parmesan flavor is the best part of this dish in my opinion.  Steaming it Up!

 

I like it so much, I grated extra to add at the table.

 

Everyone slurped their bowl clean; this soup was very good. 

 

 

Even Jean and Glenn liked it, which is saying something since they tend to avoid beans and veggies at all costs.

 

 

 

Here's what I thought about it:

                                                                            

Ingredients

13 oz.Turkey Smoked Sausage
1/4 cup chives
1/2 cup minced onion
1 cup chopped carrot 

salt and pepper, as desired

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups chicken stock 

5 cups stemmed, chopped kale

2 cups cooked beans 

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 or 2 bay leaves

Parmesan rinds, as desired
 

Preparation

1.  Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meat, add onions, and carrots sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth vinegar, rosemary, bay leaves, and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.
2. Add cooked beans. Parmesan rinds, salt and pepper.  Simmer 10 more minutes in covered Dutch oven.
3. Remove bay leaves (Parmesan cheese rind can stay in – it will continue to flavor leftovers) then serve with additional Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, if desired.

Adapted from Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2009