Rainy Day {Healthy} Soup

This past weekend, we experienced a monsoon where I live. It rained all weekend...nonstop! Which was good, because we needed it! We were experiencing a bit of a drought. AND that means less watering of the lawn that I had to do. {For what it's worth, lawn watering and maintenance is one of my most hated "husband" jobs that I have to do while he's gone.}

I really *love* rainy weather, provided I can stay on my couch all day long. But rainy weather also really makes me want soup! I found this recipe for White Bean & Sausage Soup in my most recent edition of Food Network Magazine and thought it fit the bill perfectly for a rainy day.

I made a few modifications to make it a super-healthy, too! It originally called for escarole but I couldn't find it in my grocery store so I substituted kale, which happens to be a really really healthy cabbage-like green. See the below excerpt from wikipedia for proof:

Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory.^[2] Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Because of its high vitamin K content, patients taking anti-coagulants such as warfarin are encouraged to avoid this food since it increases the vitamin K concentration in the blood, which is what the drugs are often attempting to lower. Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.^[3]

So on your next rainy day, enjoy a big bowl of this hearty and healthy soup!
Sausage & White Bean Soup

1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4-6 links of sweet Italian turkey sausages, squeezed out of casings
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3-4 cups chicken broth (depending on how soupy you like it)
1 head of kale, (remove stems and slice up the leaves into bite size pieces)
1 parmesan rind (cut off the end of a parmesan block)
1 can of white cannelini beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup of grated parmesan, plus more for sprinkling on top
salt & pepper

Cook the sausage, garlic & red pepper flakes in olive oil, being sure to crumble the sausage with your spoon as it cooks. Add the chicken broth, kale, and the parmesan rind; simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the kale is tender. Add the can of drained beans, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan, and salt & pepper to taste. Simmer until the beans are heated through and then serve. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top of each bowl.