Kale and Chickpea Soup

Once a week before I go shopping I reach in my basket of recipes clipped from magazines and newspapers and without looking I pull one out to try. The rule is I have to make what I pull out, but I do get one option to "trade" and can pull out a second recipe to make instead--but I have to make one of the two recipes. After preparing it, if I don't like the recipe, it gets tossed and if I like it, it gets put in a folder and eventually into a recipe album. This doesn't make a huge dent in the recipe basket, I clip far too many recipes for that, but it at least makes me feel as though I am moving through them.

This week's recipe is Kale and Chickpea Soup, excellent because I already had the Kale and most of the other ingredients already. I am not sure exactly what magazine this came from--I have got to get better at noting that. It is a simple recipe and goes together easily. The flavor is fairly mild, save for the spice in the Andouille sausage but over all this is good basic soup and I'll keep the recipe.

Kale and Chickpea Soup

1/2 pound kale

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 1/2 cups low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Dash nutmeg

2 tsp. sugar

14 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

6 oz chicken Andouille sausage or sausage of your choice, diced in 1/4'' pieces

Salt & pepper to taste

Wash kale, remove center ribs and discard. Finely chop leaves and set aside. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add potato, chicken broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in Kale, chickpeas and sausage; simmer about 5 more minutes. Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. Make 12 servings.