Sausage Tomato Stew

We've been on a huge soup kick over here lately. I'm trying to eat less carbs and more veggies and protein, so soup is turning out to be one of my favorite meals. Not to mention, it's warm, hearty, and freezes wonderfully. 

If you have all the ingredients chopped and ready to go, this stew comes together fairly quickly, so it's perfect for a night when you don't have dinner planned. Of course, like most soups, this tastes better the next day (or even weeks later if you freeze it), but it also has a rich flavor fresh out of the pot! 

 Sausage Tomato Stew

adapted by Lia Huber from Cooking Light

Ingredients 

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 pound ground sausage (turkey, pork, chicken, whatever)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped kale

1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Directions: 

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add sausage; sauté 4 minutes. When is brown, add red pepper flakes and ground pepper; stir around until meat is completely cooked.  Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add chickpeas, kale, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

My Momma's Sausage Dip

Sadly I don't have a picture of this, as soon as I get one I'll put it up. My mom has made this for as long as I can remember. And it's a family favorite. Sounds strange at first sausge-dip. And yesterday when I served it at our housewarming party most people assumed it was chili. While it's not chili it's equally delicious. Once you try it you'll be hooked! This stuff is killer! Extremely simple and not many ingredients. It's a go to for any get together and can be made in giant batches to feed an army of guests. Serve with tortilla chips or dish out a heaping serving like my brother does and eat it with a spoon!

Ingredients:
1 package of good sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
2 packages of cream cheese
1-2 cans of Rotel (most grocery stores carry this, it's diced tomatoes and green chile)

Directions:
Brown the sausage in a large skillet. Once sausage is cooked through add cream cheese on lower heat and melt. Once the cream cheese melts add a can of Rotel, if it's too thick add another can of rotel. Incorporate and keep on low heat or transfer to a crock pot to keep warm. YUM!