Sick Day = Soup Day

I haven't posted in forever. I apologize. The beginning of last week I was at the Nutrition & Health Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It was amazing and so interesting. It was hosted by the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and was right up my alley. Dr. Weil talked about an anti-inflammatory diet and we learned about healthy eating that can also be super tasty. I totally overdosed on salmon because everyone is so up on omega-3 fatty acids. We had at least two servings of salmon every day, plus they had these tasty little gummy worm omega-3 vitamins. I also had the chance to meet James Beard Award Winning Chef Scott Peacock and a dual Chef/MD Dr. Wendy Kohatsu. She finished her MD and during her clinicals went to culinary school so she could better consult her patients on the importance of diet and healthy cooking. I am obsessed. This is my new dream in life. The conference was an overall success. I hope I will be able to attend the next one in San Francisco.

Only downside, I came back with a cold. I have completely lost my voice and I feel like I'm coughing up a lung. Solution: make soup. The bf and I had decided on a yummy, hearty potato kale soup last week with our CSA but never got around to making it. So this was the perfect opportunity. It reminded me of the Olive Garden Toscana soup, but without the cream, and much more healthy. Unfortunately, I couldn't taste the soup (that's what happens when your nose is completely plugged) but I can say the texture was really nice, if that counts for anything. The kale gave a nice crunch that reminded me of Japanese wakame seaweed. The potatoes were nice and soft and made the soup hearty and filling. I had frozen the sausage and thawed it out yesterday, so they became a little mushy. When we cut them, they just squished and the casing didn't hold up around them. They turned out like spicy mini meatballs in the soup which I was totally fine with. I think the recipe would also be great with some carrots to give it a little more body. We also added some garlic and used our wonderful torpedo onions from the CSA. The look like giant green onions and really mild. We simply took the white bulbs and sliced them. You could easily substitute any other kind of onion. Super quick and easy and so wonderful when lying in bed sick.

(I think I need to take a food photography class because my pictures really do not do the food justice)

Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup

• 1 package spicy sausage, sliced into rounds or with casing removed shaped into meatballs
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 torpedo onion bulbs, sliced
• 5 1/2 c. low-salt chicken broth
• 6 small red lasoda potatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 c. dry white wine
• 5 c. thinly sliced trimmed kale leaves
• 1/4 tsp. caraway seeds, lightly crushed

Saute sausage, garlic, and onion in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, sliced potatoes, and white wine and bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Add kale and caraway seeds to soup. Simmer soup uncovered until potatoes and kale are very tender, about 10 minutes longer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve immediately.