Spicy Chicken Italian Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup

I love a hearty soup. This one in particular is full of goodness, flavors and textures. Perfect as a main dish that will leave you satisfied. Although it's 75 degrees outside at noon, at night we can open the doors and enjoy the cool desert night. I know this soup will be perfect with a couple slices of rustic, crunchy bread.

Cost: Spicy italian chicken sausage from the butcher at Spouts $3.50 (for 1.17 lbs), organic kale $1.99, half an onion $0.17, garlic clove $0.20, cannellini beans $0.89 (x2), can diced tomatoes $1.29. For the stock, I use a couple tsps of Better than Boullon, organic vegetable base. The whole jar makes 9.5 quarts for $5.85, so about $0.30 worth. Total cost: $9.23

This recipe is adapted from The Saturday Evening Pot

Ingredients:

4 Spicy Italian chicken sausage links

Half a yellow onion

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, liquid included

2 14.5-ounce cannellini or white beans

7 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 gloves minced garlic

5 cups kale, chopped

Directions

Brown sausage, onion, and garlic together and drain excess grease

Place in slow cooker

Add beans and tomatoes

Add broth until completely covered by at lease a half inch. Stir thoroughly

Cook on low approximately 5-6 hours
While cooking, wash and chop kale. Add at least 2 hours before serving
Serve with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Serves 8 - Total cost: $9.23 ($1.15/serving)

Prep time: 20 min - Cook time: 5-6 hours

30 Second Bruschetta Chicken

Starting off with an easy, quick and tasty slow cooker dinner. Impress a friend or yourself with a gourmet meal by throwing in a couple ingredients in the AM and coming home to a delicious dinner in the PM.

Set the timer. Ready, go! Dust off your slow cooker. Take frozen chicken out of the freezer. Grab olive oil, balsamic vinegar and bruschetta mixture out of the pantry...

Throw it all together in the slow cooker and set to 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 on high and you have yourself a deliciously moist winner winner chicken dinner. How much easier can it get?

Cost: Trader Joe's Organic, Free Range Chicken breasts $6.99 a pound, TJ's Bruschetta $2.49. Total cost: $9.50

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (I use frozen)

1 jar Trader Joe's bruschetta (see recipe below for homemade bruschetta)

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 

Bruschetta

2 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin

3 small plum tomatoes, halved and seeded

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

10 fresh basil leaves

Chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, EVOO and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Lightly coat bottom of slow cooker with EVOO

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker

Top with bruschetta

Drizzle balsamic vinegar over chicken

Cook on low 7-8 hours (3-4 on high) or until cooked through

Serves 2, Total cost: $9.50 ($4.75/serving)

Prep Time: <1 min - Cook Time: 7-8 hours