Winter White Soup

Cooking with seasonal ingredients always adds an extra element of creativity in the kitchen. With the list of winter’s seasonal ingredients being rather short, this heightened opportunity for creativity led me to this new favorite. I wanted to make something using winter ingredients that would be both completely satisfying and cleansing. Comforting and healing, this soup allows these winter elements to be anything but dull, bringing you the essence of cozy with just enough “zing” to dazzle your taste buds and keep your bowl coming back for more.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• 2, 32 oz. cartons Chicken broth
• 1 package garlic & herb chicken sausage
• 5 carrots
• 1 TBS Roasted garlic*
• 1 TBS Olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 5-6 large Portabella Mushrooms
• 3 cups torn Kale
• 1, 15.5 oz. can Northern White Beans
• 2 TBS Toasted Sesame Oil
• ¼ cup White Wine, something dry and crisp
• 1 TBS Lemon Juice
• 2 tsp Garlic powder
• 2 tsp Onion powder
• 2 TBS Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute

1. Drizzle about 1 TBS. of olive oil into the bottom of a dutch oven and add in 1 TBS. of roasted garlic*. Bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat. If you don’t have roasted garlic, fresh garlic will do the job. However, roasted garlic adds an extra layer of flavor that goes so well with this soup. See how to roast garlic below.
2. Thinly slice 5 large carrots and add to the dutch oven. Season with salt to taste and stir so the carrots are coated with the garlic and olive oil.
3. Slice chicken sausage into ¼ inch pieces. I used garlic and herb chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s. Anything with a savory or smoky flavor is perfect.
4. Add chicken sausage to the dutch oven mix and stir with a wooden spoon. Let simmer on the stovetop until carrots are nearly tender, allowing all the flavors to integrate.
5. Remove kale leaves from woody stem and tear into bite-size pieces, about 3 cups full. Add torn kale to the sauté mixture.
6. Rinse 5-6 large Portabella mushrooms and slice. Add mushrooms to the mix and sauté until mushrooms begin to brown and kale is broken down. Add northern white beans.
7. Pour in 2, 32oz. cartons of organic chicken broth and bring back to a low simmer.
8. Add toasted sesame oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, and Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute. Substitute black pepper, parsley, basil, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, and rosemary if you don’t have Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute.
9. Finally, finish with ¼ cup white wine. Let simmer on low for 20-30 minutes.

This recipe makes a large batch of Winter White Soup for steaming bowls throughout the week. Make this one pot wonder and you will love yourself on those chilly, dark evenings when the last thing you want to do is cook.

Roasted Garlic

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• 1 garlic head
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Foil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel outer papery garlic head wrappers and cut ¼ inch of the top of the garlic head.
3. Place garlic head on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around garlic head.
4. Drizzle olive oil over freshly cut tops of cloves, allowing oil to run down into the garlic head.
5. Wrap garlic head in foil and place in oven, trimmed top up.
6. Bake for 40 minutes. Bake 50-60 minutes for deeper color and flavor.
7. Carefully remove from the oven. Once the garlic is cool enough to touch, remove foil. Roasted, creamy cloves will easily slip out of papery skins.
8. Refrigerate leftover roasted garlic for up to 1 week.