Butter Bean, Sausage & Kale Soup
This Butter Bean, Sausage & Kale soup can be made in less than 30 minutes. It is loaded with flavor from the STAR ingredients ~ Spicy Turkey Sausage and Italian Tomatoes. This recipe was inspired based on all the delicious soup recipes I saw in my new Weight Watcher Classic Comforts Cookbook. I LOVE idea of taking flavored sausage, plus beans plus VEGGIES to create a soup that gets better with each bite.
Butter Bean, Sausage & Kale Soup
INGREDIENTS:
2 links, 7 oz total, Lean Spicy Turkey Italian Sausage, casings removed (I used Jennie-O)
1 red onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups water
1 15 1/2 oz white beans, drained and rinsed, (I USED BIG Butter Beans)
1 14 1/2 oz can diced, Italian tomatoes
1 can or small box Organic Chicken Broth
1/2 Kale bunch, roughly chopped
A few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently to break up the sausage until the sausage is no longer pink, 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the water, beans, and broth; bring to a boil. Add the Kale, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Makes 4 LARGE servings, 4 Weight Watcher Points Each!!
Nutritional information per 1 HEAPING cup serving:
230 Calories,6 g Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fats, 46 mg Cholesterol, 820 mg Sodium, 24 g Carbohydrates, 7 g Fiber, 21 g Protein, 120 mg calcium
STEP-BY-STEPS:
Add your lean spicy turkey sausage plus veggies and cook over medium high heat.
Add your garlic and cook 1 additional minute.
Add your beans, tomatoes, water and chicken broth.
Add your kale, cover and cook until kale is cooked, about 10 minutes.
Tadah!!! Super fast, super easy! Add crushed red pepper flakes.
Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and additional crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce!
This soup freezes well too so why not double the recipe to have some now and then later for the nights you don’t feel like cooking.
Enjoy!
Cheesy Bacon & Bean Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Cheesy Bacon & Bean Stuffed Peppers are a complete meal and total fall comfort food. This recipe puts a spin on the classic stuffed bell peppers by giving them a spicy kick and BACON! Afterall, doesn’t bacon make everything better?! I LOVE it when you can add little smokey crisp bacon treats without adding a ton of calories/fat. A little goes a long way. I used a homemade taco seasoning to spice them up, but, feel free to get creative by adding salsa, diced green chilies and/or jalapeños.
Cheesy Bacon & Bean Stuffed Peppers Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
5 Pieces uncured, applewood smoked bacon, chopped (I like TJ’s)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 c water
1 c brown basmati rice
2 Tbsp Veggie Terrain’s Fabulous Taco Seasoning (I double this recipe and keep it on hand for spicing up everything ~ it rocks!)
1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
4-6 red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds/membrane removed
1 1/2 oz finely shredded low-fat cheddar, I used Cabot 50% Cheddar
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a large skillet, cooked chopped bacon pieces. Drain and reserve 1 Tbsp bacon grease (yes, it adds to the flavor!) Set bacon aside.
2. Return pan to stove over medium heat, add reserved bacon grease, onions, garlic and bell pepper. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce through beans, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until rice is done and cooked through.
**Note: If you find that your liquid is evaporating BEFORE your rice is done, add additional water a 1/2 cup at a time and cook 5 minutes. Repeat as needed.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prep your peppers and toppings while the rice cooks.
4. Remove rice/beans from heat. Stir in bacon and cilantro.
5. Spray a 8×8 or 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add a 1/4 of water to the bottom. Stuff your bell peppers with the bean/rice mixture and place in the baking dish.
6. Bake stuffed peppers for 15 minutes. Remove, top with cheese and bake for 5 additional minutes.
* Make these VEGETARIAN by using fakin’ bacon, veggie crumbles or soyrizo!
** Make these VEGAN by omitting bacon and using vegan cheese.
Makes 6 stuffed peppers, Nutritional Information per pepper:
Calories 310.2, Total Fat 7.3 g, Saturated Fat 2.5 g, Cholesterol 16.3 mg, Sodium 677.1 mg, Potassium 658.3 mg, Total Carbohydrate 52.5 g, Dietary Fiber 7.6 g, Sugars 8.4 g, Protein 14.3 g (6 Weight Watcher Points)
Just follow these EASY steps to make super delish stuffed peppers!
Crisp up your bacon.
Chop your bell pepper, onion and mince your garlic.
Saute your veggies until soft. Add brown rice.
Add your liquids (tomato juice and water).
Add your beans and taco seasoning.
While your beans and rice cook, take your bell peppers that you selected with the best BOTTOMS to help them stand up 
Chop off their tops and discard the seeds and membranes. Rinse.
Place upside down on a paper towel to let the water drain out.
Once your rice/beans are done, add your crispy bacon and cilantro.
Stir just until combined.
Stuff your peppers with your rice/bean mixture and place in a casserole dish filled with a 1/4 inch water. This helps to steam the bell peppers.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove and add shredded cheesy tops.
Bake for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.
Allow to cool for a few minutes and dig in!
Enjoy as is or add your favorite toppings ~ Greek Yogurt for sour cream, ketchup. salsa or whatever sounds good.
Smokey Black Bean Chili in Squash Bowls
Can you believe it’s almost HALLOWEEN and time to Fall Back? I am so ready for the time change because it’s SOOO dark when I go to work in the morning. I have to admit that it’s a pretty awesome way to start my day by watching the sunrise as I drive into work though….
I am a total believer in eating what you crave. I woke up this morning craving two of my FAVORITE things ~ Apricot Preserves & Crunchy Nut Barn Almond Butter.
I LOVE that the BioNature Apricot Preserves are sweetened with apple juice vs sugar!
I toasted up 2 slices of Nature’s Pride 100% Whole Bread and smothered them in apricot almond goodness!
Mid morning I grabbed a Low-Fat Cabot Cheese and a mini fuji apple.
Lunch today involved more Halloween shopping or lack there of and at stop at the Over The Top Shop for Froyo!!!! Today’s mix included SNICKERDOODLE (YUM!!!), Peach-Mango Tart and Vanilla with sprinkles and crumbled waffle cone.
As I was eating this I was really thinking how it would be AWESOME to have a Cuisnart 45-Mix-It-In Soft Serve Froyo machine at home! Maybe for CHRISTMAS 
*wink, wink* LOL….I don’t know though – that could be a BAD thing to have froyo that accessible!
Lunch started out with this togo Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing.
However, the spicy broccoli shrimp I got to go with it was NASTY! It was ALL fish sauce and i just couldn’t eat it at all. I skipped lunch and opted for a bigger afternoon snack.
Whole Foods Organic Stone Wheat Crackers, Laughing Cow, Lean Turkey and FIZZY water! I was STILL hungry after so I grabbed an organic orange for dessert.
My co-worker who won the Organic Veggie Box from work broke out a super cool new to me veggie that I had to snap a picture of. Any guesses on what it is?
It’s a RADISH ~ Kinda crazy! I am not a fan of radishes but I had to try it because it looked like a mini watermelon. The flavor was interesting ~ it tastes like spicy cabbage. I like the heat, but, I am still debating the cabbage flavor.
When I got home The Husband was singing ~ “I got a cookie and you can’t have one!” LOL. Look at how AMAZING these snicker doodles are – perfectly round too! He got it at work. Of course, I snapped off a bite ~ MMMM ~ so much to LOVE about these cookies ~ cinnamon, sugar, butter, chewy….Need I say more.
Dinner tonight started out with roasted these cute Organic Sweet Dumpling Squashes I got at the market on Saturday. I decided they would make the perfect chili bowls.
I cut them in 1/2, de-seeded and rinsed them out.
Then, rubbed with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkled with sea salt.
Perfectly roasted at 400 for 30 minutes.
While the squash roasted, I whipped up a Smokey Black Bean Salsa Chili that I saw in the October issue of Cooking Light. The recipe was lightened up by the enlightened chef and sounded amazing ~ Beans, Bacon, Turkey, Spice ~ YUM!
I picked Trader Joe’s Spicy, Smoky Peach Salsa as the STAR ingredient.
Step 1 ~ Puree 1/2 your beans with brown sugar and water.
Stir in your remaining beans ~ I accidentally opened TJ’s Cuban beans instead of black beans ~ so I went with it!
Step 2 ~ Brown your 99% Lean ground turkey in nonstick spray. It’s important to pick the 99% lean to ensure you are getting turkey breast vs thigh meat and skin.
Step 3 ~ remove your browned turkey and add your onion and bell peppers.
and your BACON! Cook about 5-10 minutes until the onion is soft and slightly browned.
Step 4 ~ Add your turkey and spices.
Plus your bean mixture and salsa.
Step 5 ~ Add your beef broth, tomato paste and crushed red pepper flakes (b/c you forgot to with the spices . Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
I subbed ff Greek Yogurt for the sour cream and added, lime juice and cilantro.
To create a fantastic chili topper.
Sweet Dumpling Chili Bowl, plus Smokey Black Bean Chili plus cilantro lime “sour cream”. MMM ~ DELISH! I LOVED how easy this recipe was to make, but, I am not sure that the bacon really mattered. You didn’t really taste it and if I am adding calories for something like that, I want to TASTE it!
Sweet Roasted Squash in every bite! I really do think that this type of squash tastes bit like pumpkin, but, not as strong.
While the chili was simmering, I whipped up a batch of Carrot Pumpkin Cupcakes with Fresh Whipped Frosting. Would you believe me if I told you this is a low-cal recipe?!
Recipe coming up next! Tonight is the last night to WIN COOKIES!
Molasses Baked Beans Recipe
This is the easiest Molasses Baked Beans recipe you will ever make because you let it cook all day long in the slow cooker. It is amazing eaten straight or served over organic brown rice.
SLOW COOKER MOLASSES BAKED BEANS
Source of Inspiration: The Eat-Clean Diet for Family & Kids Cookbook
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb dry canario or white beans – pea, navy, cannellini (not canned)
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
5.5 oz canned tomato paste
3/4 c Ketchup (or make your own)
3/4 c dark, unsulfured blackstrap molasses
4 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
1/4 dark agave nectar (the dark is better to use than the light) or honey
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
*Optional: 1 package lean turkey bacon or center cut bacon, cooked & crumbled
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place beans in a large soup pot or sauce pan and cover with at least 4 inches of water. Soak overnight to help get the “gassiness” out The next day, drain the beans and cover with clean, fresh water plus a bit of sea salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
2. Place the cooked beans in the slow cooker. Add at least 6 cups of water, completely covering the beans. Place of low (long cook) setting and cook for 10 hours. The beans are ready when the skins split. Scoop out 2 cups of the cooking liquid and set aside. Discard the rest of the liquid and return the beans to the crock pot.
3. In a medium skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Reduce heat and sauté until soft. Add to beans in the slow cooker.
4. In a small bowl combine tomato paste, ketchup, molasses, agave nectar, mustard, sea salt and black pepper. Add reserved 2 cups bean-cooking liquid. Mix well. Pour over bean/onion mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Stir in crumbled bacon reserving a little to sprinkle on top if desired.
Nutritional Information for each 1/2 cup serving (excluding bacon):
Calories 123, Fat 2g, Saturated fat 0.2 g, Trans fat 0g, Protein 3g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Sodium 300 mg, Cholesterol 0 mg
These beans are vegetarian and VEGAN if using agave versus honey & omit the bacon.
I used the Canario Beans I bought at the Farmer’s Market. They start out as yellow and turn into brown pinto colored beans ~ fun! I let them soak during the day on Saturday, cooked the beans overnight and made the “baked part” on Sunday.
These beans make the perfect meal served over organic brown rice. You can take a short cut on the rice and use Trader Joe’s Frozen Organic Brown Rice. It cooks in 3 minutes!
Enjoy!
Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Crunchy Tacos
Dinner tonight was awesome and exactly what I was craving. I have been wanting to make Spicy Potato & Black Bean tacos from Veggie-Terrain again ever since I first tried them. LOVE her recipes and she rocks too Tonight, I put a new spin of the recipe and used sweet potatoes instead of red potatoes plus basic black beans.
SPICY SWEET POTATO & BLACK BEAN CRUNCHY TACOS
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into taco shell size cubes
1-2 Tbsps Veggie Terrain’s Fabulous Taco Seasoning
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Basic Black Beans (black beans, onion, olive oil, sea salt)
Cherry tomatoes
Avocado
Cilantro
Crunchy Blue Taco Shells
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Boil your sweet potato for about 10 minutes to soften slightly and drain.
Add your taco seasoning & olive oil to your potatoes. I added a regular potato at the last minute because The Husband said he would eat it if I did (um, ya, he didn’t). No white potato is needed
Pour your potatoes onto a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray and bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake an addition 7-10 minutes or until crispy like.
Build your tacos by adding a little spicy sweet potatoes, black beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes and cilantro.
SO GOOD! The Husband’s mom stopped by as well and had a taco with me. We both agreed they are 5 stars all around. The sweet potatoes add a nice sweet, yet savory touch with the spicy taco seasoning. I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow as a taco salad!
For my veggies, I decided to give those sweet green peppers a whirl.
I cooked them up in a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt. They were surprisingly pretty tasty ~ slightly sweet and not spicy at all. Flavorwise they remind me of a cross between a red and green bell pepper. I would’ve never thought to eat a bunch of peppers like this until today ~ Delish – I will definitely have these again.
All together dinner was so easy to make but really amazing.
For The Husband, I ended up making him a BBQ Chicken Wrap.
1 Sun Dried Tomato Basil Tortilla
1 slice Tillamook Pepperjack Cheese
Grilled BBQ Chicken with Gayle’s Original BBQ Sauce
Basic Black Beans
Sauteed sweet peppers
Tomato and AVOCADO
I have to admit his looked so good that I was sorta sad I wasn’t playing along. He devoured it and said I could make it again anytime LOL.
You know I couldn’t resist that cinnamon swirl bread. We each had a slice for dessert and I put the loaf in the freezer. I heart bread ~ especially swirly bread!
Thanks everyone for your sincere thoughts and advice on my morning post. You all really made me day! I LOVE that you all support me so much and believe I can do it. I even LOVED that you all are willing to jump on board to help me along the way. I am going to ponder what you all said and come up with an action plan soon. No matter what I choose, I would LOVE for you all to join in on a self challenge with me – we can all motivate each other to look H-O-T going into the holidays!
I think I might be leaning towards Body For Life for workouts, but, I need to finish the book first LOL!
So, I am off to read my Body For Life Book ~ Nite all!
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