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Today is a two-fer: one main course, and one soup or stew that is quick and easy to fix. And you might want to consider fixing a cast-iron skillet of cornbread while you’re putting this together, too.<\/p>\n
If it’s chilly where you are, this recipe is good any time, but particularly on a chilly Autumn (or Summer) day, even if it isn’t officially summer just yet. The outdoor temp right now is in the 50s. This is Hurricane Herbert’s gift: go north, pull cold air from Hudson’s Bay into my AO, make me turn on the cotton-pickin’ furnace – in June, for Pete’s sake! No wonder I couldn’t find the cat last night: she burrowed under the fleece blankets and stayed there.<\/p>\n
BBQ Beans w\/Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage<\/strong><\/p>\n Ingredients<\/p>\n 2 15 oz black beans\u00a0canned, drained and rinsed<\/p>\n 2 15.8 oz Great Northern beans\u00a0canned, drained and rinsed<\/p>\n 1 1.25 oz can kidney beans\u00a0canned, drained and rinsed<\/p>\n 1 onion diced<\/p>\n \u00bd cup barbecue sauce<\/p>\n \u00be cup ketchup<\/p>\n 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce<\/p>\n 1 tbsp mustard<\/p>\n 1 tsp chili powder<\/p>\n 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar<\/p>\n \u00bd cup maple syrup<\/p>\n \u00bc cup molasses<\/p>\n 14.5 oz chicken broth<\/p>\n \u00bd lb bacon cooked, cut into bite size pieces (optional)<\/p>\n 2 lbs Kielbasa or smoked sausage cut into bite size pieces<\/p>\n Instructions:<\/strong><\/p>\n In a large slow cooker, add all of the ingredients except for the kielbasa and stir gently to combine.<\/p>\n Place the kielbasa on top and cover with the lid.<\/p>\n Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. Stir in the kielbasa before serving.<\/p>\n ————–<>————–<\/p>\n Next is this stew or soup recipe, which is good with or without the kale. It’s really more a thick soup than a stew, and it’s good with or without the addition of kale. The recipe says you get 8 servings. Yeah, but a soup mug is 28 ounces and I got just over 6 servings out of it, so take that into account.<\/p>\n Note: do NOT use chard as a substitute for kale. Chard has oxalic acid in it, and that stuff will give you kidney stones.<\/p>\n Sausage & White Bean Stew with Kale<\/strong><\/p>\n 2\u00a0 Tbsp olive oil<\/p>\n 1\u00a0 14 ounce pkg of cooked smoked sausage, e.g., Kielbasa or andouille, cut in 1\/2 inch slices<\/p>\n 2\u00a0 cups of chopped onion<\/p>\n 1\/2 cup of chopped celery<\/p>\n 1\/3 cup of chopped carrots (I used shredded carrots in a 1\/2 pound pack to save some time)<\/p>\n 3 cloves of garlic, minced<\/p>\n 1\/4 teaspoon of thyme, crushed<\/p>\n 3\u00a0 15 oz. cans of Great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed<\/p>\n 3 14,5 ounce cans of chicken broth or stock<\/p>\n 1 14.5 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, undrained, cut into pieces\u00a0 (I used a can of sectioned tomatoes to save time)<\/p>\n 1 bunch of kale, washed, stemmed, and chopped (8 cups)<\/p>\n Salt and black pepper<\/p>\n Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 – in a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add sausage, cook 6 minutes or until browned; occasionally stir the pieces. Remove to a plate when done.<\/p>\n 2 – Add the next five ingredients, including the thyme, to the Dutch oven. Cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender but not browned, stirring occasionally.<\/p>\n 3 – Stir in the cooked sausage, beans, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, simmer covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (That means put down that tablet and pay attention to your food.) Stir in the kale. Simmer covered for 10 to 12 minutes more or until the kale is tender. Season to taste with salt & pepper<\/p>\n This is supposed to make 8 servings. I got about 7 out of it. A good sized soup mug holds about 28 ounces of stew or soup.<\/p>\n When I went to Walmart to get groceries, there was not one leaf or stem of kale in any of the three bins available to hold it. NOT ONE! So I fixed this without the kale and it is quite good without it. As I noted above, do NOT substitute chard for kale. Just make a batch without the kale and see how good and filling it is.<\/p>\n Strongly recommend either biscuits with butter (and maybe honey?) included, or a good skillet of cornbread made the old-fashioned way. Yes, I will find that old-fashioned cornbread recipe, and ditto a biscuits recipe and post them here.<\/p>\n On a chilly June night, when the temps dropped to the 40s and my Small Kitty was complaining about it (yes, I did turn the furnace back on), this is hearty and satisfying and is on my list of Quick & Easy Stuff.<\/p>\n Did anyone besides me notice that there was snow in Colorado a few days ago? If I have to turn the furnace on….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"