Ks World: Full of Food, Beer & Love

Weekends usually involve a crockpot meal, most likely a soup.  I'm a busy bee on the weekend and try to avoid standing over the stove for too long.  I mean, I'd rather be taking a stroll around a lake, walking along where the ocean meets the sand, visiting museums, or swinging by Wilmington Homebrew for a brewing demo and chitchatting with fellow homebrewers.  The solution to the dilemma of being chained to the kitchen is the trusty old crockpot.  This soup is going for a taco flavor but is doing double duty by cleaning out some goods in my pantry/freezer.

The great thing about this type of soup, you can really customize it to your tastes.  Add a can of whatever kind of beans or chopped tomatoes.  Make it as spicy as you want with adding more or less spices or hot sauces.  Have fun with it and in the process get rid of some of those cans that have been in your pantry for a while.

Taco Rye PA Soup (yields 6-8 servings)
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 can of black eyed peas (I actually used some leftover black eyed peas from New Year)
1 can black beans
1 can creamed corn
1 can tomato soup
1 (12 oz) bottle of Rye PA

1 tbsp. chili powder*
1/4 tsp. garlic powder*
1/4 tsp. onion powder*
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes*
1/4 tsp. dried oregano*
1/2 tsp. paprika*
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin*
1 tsp. salt*
1 tsp. pepper*
*(OR you can use 1 pkg of taco seasoning)

1/2 lb. ground turkey, browned

Topping:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Sliced jalapenos
Tortilla chips, crushed

Put all ingredients, except for toppings into a crockpot.  Cover with lid.  Turn on low for 5-6 hours. 

Serve in bowls and top with any of the desired toppings.

Enjoy!

I love to make soup with kale.  This soup is delish and jam packed with veggies.  It has to be one of my favorite kale soups yet!

Witbier Kale Soup (yields 6-8 servings)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
2 med. carrots, shredded
4 cloves garlic, grated
8 oz. witbier (or any other that you'd prefer)
 
2 bay leaves1 tbsp. paprika
dash of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

6 c. chicken stock

2 med. potatoes, peeled and diced1 lg. tomato, diced1 bunch of kale, leaves ripped from stems and finely chopped
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 mild Italian sausages, sliced

Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat.  Add onions, carrots and garlic.  Add butter.  Cook till onions become translucent. 

Turn heat up to medium-high.  Add beer and let reduce; about 10-15 minutes.  I used a Hitachino Nest clone and only used 8 oz of beer, but I feel that you could easily use an entire bottle (12 oz). 

Add bay leaves, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Mix well.  Add stock.  Add potatoes, tomato, kale and beans.  Continue to heat till mixture comes to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook sausages until brown and no longer pink.  Drain excess fat.

Remove 2 cups of soup and transfer to a blender or food processor.  Pulse till mixture is smooth.  Mix in to the remaining soup along with the cooked sausages.

You could serve the soup now, or if it may be a little bit before dinner is served, transfer soup to a crockpot and keep it on low till it is time to eat.

Enjoy.