sausage, kale and white beans

http://www.marthastewart.com/260942/sausages-with-kale-and-white-beans

with veggie sausage of course.

Ingredients

• • 1 large bunch kale (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausages (about 8 links)--veggie sausage!
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans
  • 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

Directions

1. Remove thick stems from kale and discard. Coarsely chop kale; wash and dry. Peel and thinly slice garlic.
2. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. With a fork, pierce sausages all over; place on a broilerproof rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. While sausages are cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add kale, garlic, and 1/2 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cover skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until kale is wilted and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and rinse beans; add to skillet along with vinegar. Cook uncovered, tossing gently, until beans are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

brunswick stew

Adapted from southern.food.com and Ingrid.

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces vegetarian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, minced

1 medium  white potato, diced

1 large-ish turnip, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock or 3 1/2 cups water

15 ounces fresh diced tomatoes (optional)

1 - 2 cups butter beans, fresh, canned, or frozen

1 cup corn, fresh, canned, or frozen

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetarian worcestershire sauce or 3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce or 3 tablespoons Braggs liquid aminos

1 teaspoons prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar or honey

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon  chipotle chile powder, or if you like hickory flavor (gross), liquid smoke or hickory salt

1/4 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce

freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the "sausage" links and cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.  

2 Reheat the oil in the saucepan and add the onion, celery, potato, turnip, garlic, and ginger.  

3 Add 1/4 cup of the stock or water, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4 Remove the lid, add the remaining stock or water and stir in the tomatoes, corn, limas, Worcestershire sauce or tamari, mustard, sugar, allspice, Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil.  

5 Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6 During the last 10 minutes of cooking time, add the reserved "meat,"  and the liquid smoke, if using (and if you use it, use a tiny bit!

Add a splash of cider vinegar at the end, if you like vinegar.
Serve with toasted white bread!

Dixie's favorite soup--Stracciatella (italian egg drop soup)

NYT Version

 To make this into a real one-pot meal, some chopped greens -- spinach or watercress is especially good, which will cook in about the same time as the eggs. To accommodate the added solids, however, increase the amount of stock by about half (six cups instead of four).

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• A tiny grating of fresh nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1. Bring 3 cups stock to a boil over medium-high heat in a 6- to 8-cup saucepan. Beat the remaining stock with the eggs, the cheese, the nutmeg and the parsley until they are well blended.
• 2. When stock is boiling, adjust heat so it bubbles frequently but not furiously. Add egg mixture in a steady stream, stirring occasionally until eggs gather together in small curds, 2 or 3 minutes.
• 3. Taste, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve, garnishing with a little more Parmesan if you like.

Version with spinach (epicurious)

• 1 (12-inch) length of crusty baguette, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into thirds
• Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing bread
• 2 cups water
• 3 cupsvegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus additional for serving
• 1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach (not thawed)
• 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1/2 cup) plus additional for serving
• 2 large eggs, beaten

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Brush cut sides of baguette with oil. Arrange, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat water with broth, salt, and pepper in a 2- to 2 1/2-quart saucepan over moderate heat until hot. Stir in frozen spinach and cheese and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until spinach is just tender, about 8 minutes.

Add beaten eggs in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly.

Serve with freshly ground pepper and a slice of toasted baguette in the soup.

Version with asparagus (tasting table)
INGREDIENTS
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch asparagus, about a pound
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ¾ cup snipped chives
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1.In a large saucepan, combine the chicken stock and garlic and
bring to a boil. Lower the heat and keep at a simmer.
2. Snap off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus. Cut the
asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Add the asparagus to the
simmering soup and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.

3. Pour the beaten eggs into the soup and swirl gently with a
fork until they begin to form strands, about 30 seconds. Stir
in the chives and season the soup with salt and pepper. Top
with the Parmesan, if using, and serve.

split pea salad

from tasting table

1½ cups dried yellow split peas, rinsed and picked over 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided 1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), divided 1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 3 garlic cloves, peeled 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 small serrano chile, mostly seeded and deveined ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 cups mixed salad greens 1. In a large saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add the yellow split peas and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and season with ¾ teaspoon salt. 2. Make the cilantro pesto: In a blender or food processor, combine ⅓ cup of the pepitas, the cilantro, Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, lemon juice, chile, ¼ teaspoon salt and a splash of olive oil and puree until smooth. Continue blending while gradually drizzling in the remaining olive oil until the pesto becomes a vibrant green sauce (makes about 1 cup). 3. Make the salad: In a large bowl, toss the cooked split peas and the remaining ⅔ cup of pepitas with two-thirds of the pesto. Continue tossing until everything is well coated. Add the salad greens, drizzle with some of the additional pesto to taste and gently toss again. Serve immediately.