White Bean, Italian Chicken Sausage, + Kale Soup

Recipes

White Bean, Italian Chicken Sausage, + Kale Soup

makes 4 main meal sized servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1 LB spicy or mild Italian sausage, casing removed as-needed + crumbled
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1, 28 oz can white beans, drained
  • 4 C low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 heavy dashes of Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 C shredded kale or baby kale
  • Sea salt & pepper, to taste
  • Optional: parmesan cheese, to top

TO MAKE:

  1. Cook the crumbled sausage in a large soup/stock pot over medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients.

  2. Transfer the sausage to a plate.

  3. Add the onion to the pot and sauté it for 3-5 minutes or until it’s softened and starting to lightly brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

  4. Add the beans, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and rosemary. Stir well, scraping the bottom.

  5. Take the pot off the stove. Using an immersion/stick blender, purée the soup. I like to leave some beans whole. You can also use a potato masher if you don’t have an immersion blender or a normal blender, in turns, if you want it smoother.

  6. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to high + bring to a boil- cover, reduce the heat to a summer, cook for 15-20 minutes so the soup thickens.

  7. Stir in the kale and let it wilt – season with salt + pepper as-needed.

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Recipes

It’s soup weather! I love to warm up with a cup of soup with some light protein + a large raw veggie salad with a seasonal dressing or creative sauce. This spicy chicken tortilla soup is a great cold-weather warm up meal with a great deal of flavor!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

makes 8 servings

For the Base:

  • 1 TB avocado oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 32 oz. chicken broth, organic + low-sodium
  • 2 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, + diced
  • 2 tsp cumin, ground
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano, dried
  • 2 TB low-sodium taco seasoning
  • 14 ounces red enchilada sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups corn, thawed
  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
  • Optional: 15 oz. black beans; drained – for added fiber or a vegetarian option for the soup

To Top: pick your toppings or use em’ all!

  • Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
  • Scallions, chopped
  • Shredded cheese
  • Avocado, diced
  • Lime slices
  • Crispy tortilla strips

To Make:

USING A SLOW-COOKER: to make this with a slow-cooker, start with steps 1 and 2, then add it with the remaining ingredients into a slow-cooker + cook on low for an hour.

  • Add oil to a large soup pan over medium heat. Add in peppers + onion -saute until mildly tender. Add in the garlic, cumin, oregano, + chili powder – stir + saute for another minute.
  • Pat the chicken with the taco seasoning. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
    • QIUCK TIP TO SAVE TIME: buy a rotisserie chicken + spray it with avocado oil + shake in a baggie with the taco seasoning to skip a cooking step. Save it to put on top when ready to serve.
  • Place chicken breast pieces in the soup pan with the vegetables- add remaining ingredients + simmer for 40-45 minutes.
  • Serve with recommended toppings.

Nutrition x 1 cup serving:

Calories: 325 kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 22g | Sodium: 310mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

Cleansing Creamy Asparagus Soup

Recipes

Creamy Asparagus Cleansing Soup

makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1 ½ LBS asparagus, trimmed
  • 1 TB butter
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 ¼ C low-sodium chicken broth
  • Sea salt + red pepper flakes, to taste
  • ½ tsp lemon juice
  • ½ C cream from the top of a coconut milk can
  • Optional: Parmesan cheese, to top

TO MAKE:

  • Cut asparagus into ½-inch pieces.
  • Cook onion + garlic in the butter over medium heat – cook until tender- about 7-8 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 5 more minutes.
  • Stir in the chicken broth, cover, + let simmer 10-15 minutes or until asparagus is softened.
  • Using a hand blender or a countertop blender (you may need to blend in batches)- puree soup until smooth. Stir in the coconut cream, salt + pepper flakes, + lemon juice.
  • Top with Parmesan if you like or any other toppings like: grilled whole grain bread “croutons,” heart-healthy hemp hearts, or anything you think sounds good!

HEALTH BENEFITS OF ASPARAGUS:

  • Being low in calories, but high in water content + has fiber, it fills you up with nutrients and keeping you fuller, longer.
  • The fiber content helps improve digestion. The vegetable also acts like a diuretic. (Hence your green + stinky potty time after eating.)
  • Asparagus is low in calories, but bursting with nutrients like A, C, E, + K, folate, fiber, potassium, iron, zinc and riboflavin. The most prevalent vitamin is K, an essential nutrient involved in blood clotting and bone health.
  • Asparagus is particularly high in the flavonoids quercetin, isorhamnetin and kaempferol. These substances have been found to have blood pressure-lowering, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer effects in a number of studies.
  • Asparagus is high in folate (vitamin B9), an important nutrient that helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects during pregnancy.
  • Thanks to potassium, it helps lower blood pressure.

Coconut Curry Thai Chicken Soup

Recipes

Coconut Curry Thai Chicken Soup

makes 4-6 servings

WHAT YOU NEED:

FOR THE SOUP:

  • 2, 14 oz cans organic coconut milk
  • 1 large TB red Thai curry paste
  • large handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped
  • 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced or quick tip: buy a rotisserie chicken + hand-shred it
  • 2 C low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 2 stalks of lemon grass, halved lengthwise- if you cannot source it, you can use 1 TB lemongrsass paste
  • 2 TB fish sauce
  • 2 limes, zested + then juiced
  • 1-inch ginger, minced

TOPPINGS:

  • Large handful bean sprouts
  • 1 C optional prepared cauliflower “rice’ or
  • 1 bunch of cilantro leaves, to top
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • Dashes of liquid aminos

TO MAKE:

  1. Take the “fat” or solid from the top of the coconut milk cans  and place it into a large stockpot over medium-high heat- let it melt.  Add in the the curry paste + stir for a few minutes until it begins to sizzle.
  2. Add the cilantro and chicken (if not rotisserie chicken) + sauté until the chicken is cooked through-about 5-6 minutes.
  3. Add the liquid from 1 can of the coconut milk and the rest of the 2nd can with the chicken broth, carrot, lemon grass, fish sauce, + both the lime zest and juice. Grate or place minced ginger into the pot- simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. If you choose to put in cauliflower rice or rice noodles, stir them in gently. Remove from the heat and toss in the bean sprouts- let soften for 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, remove the lemongrass stalks if you used fresh lemongrass, put a few dashes of liquid minos if you’d like, + begin to serve with toppings of your choosing.

Carrot-Ginger Soup with Spicy Polenta Croutons

Recipes

Carrot-Ginger Soup with Spicy Polenta Croutons

What You Need:

For the Soup:

  • 1/2 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups organic carrots, peeled + chopped
  • Himalayan crystal salt, to taste
  • 2 cups organic vegetable stock
  • 1-2 cups filtered water, if needed
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seed butter
  • 2 tsp Sriracha sauce

For the Croutons:

  • 1 roll of polenta, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • dried Thai chiles – these are VERY hot, so use sparingly. You can always add more later if desired!
  • Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, to lightly coat the polenta cubes (brush on or use a mister to use less)

To Make the Croutons:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl- coat the polenta cubes with olive oil + sprinkle them with Himalayan crystal salt + the ground up dried Thai chiles. Lightly toss.
  4. Place the polenta on top of the baking sheet + bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

To Make the Soup:

  1. In a stock pot, heat a bit of olive oil for 30 seconds. Toss in the onion, garlic, + carrots and heat until lightly tender. Sprinkle some salt + pepper on top.
  2. Stir in the vegetable stock + water (use your judgment on how thick you want the soup…less water = thicker.) Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, + simmer for roughly 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  3. Once cool, blend the soup in a high-powered blender (you may have to do it in 2 shifts…remember, hot liquid is like a volcano in a blender, so leave some space up top to avoid an explosion!)  Place it all in a large bowl + add the sunflower seed butter and Sriracha sauce in- stir well. More Sriracha can be added if you want a spicier soup…use ALL you want.
  4. When serving, top with cilantro + 4-5 polenta croutons!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Ashley