Winter Kale!

Wow! After several days of freezing temps and unexpected snowfall last week, I haven't ventured into the garden until today. I was thinking there wouldn't be anything much to look at but I was surprised (and pleased) to find that I still had a bit of Russian kale and tons of Lacinato (also known as: cavolo nero, Tuscan, blue, black or dinosaur) kale growing!

I absolutely LOVE kale,it's so beautiful! The dinosaur kale and Russian are probably my favorite greens.

So, I picked a couple heaping handfulls and made it into a really wonderful soup. I love this stuff on cold winter days. It's so easy, it always turns out great and though I admit my kids aren't totally thrilled with it yet (it's growing on them though) my non-vegan friends LOVE the stuff!

Kale and Sausage Soup

6 ounces Tofurky kielbasa (or Soyrizo works well too) , sliced,
1 large onion, chopped,
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound fresh kale, washed,
26 ounces vegetable or "chicken" broth
4 cups water
2 carrots, sliced
1 teaspoon dried leaf marjoram, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Saute Tofurky, onion and garlic in oil in large pot over medium-low heat until tender, about 10 minutes.
Cut off stems of kale and slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Keep stem pieces separate. Coarsely chop fresh leaves.
Add the broth, water, carrot, marjoram, salt, pepper and kale stems.

Bring to boiling. Lower heat; cover and cook for 15 minutes longer. Add the leaves at this point along with the rice to the pot. Bring to boiling. Lower the heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.

(I usually add a good shot of Tabasco at this point too).

Soooooooo yummy! Ahhhhhh... I wonder if I have leftovers...