July 20, 2015
Well we’re down to the final items! I unwrapped the sweet potato soup right before a big grocery store run after returning from our nearly 2-week trip back to the Midwest. Living in hot hot LA, it feels like I haven’t made (or even eaten) soup in ages, particularly one that to me feels autumnal and foreign in my current food repertoire. I thought something spicy might complement the sweet, warm flavor. I picked up some fresh organic hot Italian chicken sausage and hoped that would do the trick, also adding in some kale for health and white beans for texture. (full, very made up, and imprecise recipe below). It turned out well! Happy to report I was correct that the spice offset the sweet in a nice way.
To accompany the soup, I made a salad using another ingredient of mystery that I found on my own recently. Cactus is a THING out west, and I recently bought a jar of marinated cactus with which to experiment. I tried this recipe from Idiot Kitchen. The only variation was out of necessity, as the avocado I selected was not quite ready to be eaten. Other than that I followed it faithfully, and it was very fresh, bright and yummy!
Solid meal all around. Only one more item from the mystery basket! Ack!
Sweet Potato Sausage Soup
INGREDIENTS:
Sweet Potato Soup
Italian Sausage
Kale
White Beans
Garlic
Onions
Olive Oil
Sour Cream (optional)
Salt, Pepper, Paprika
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in pot (I used my trusty Le Creuset)
Saute garlic and onions for 5-10 minutes
Remove sausage from casings and add to pot, breaking into hunks or slices
Cook sausage thoroughly
Add sweet potato soup to pot and bring to boil
Rinse and rip kale and add to soup, cooking for about 5 minutes
Add white beans shortly after adding kale
Add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
(Optional) Add a dollop of sour cream to help blend the flavors
Enjoy!
BorgGaveUsFood 