With the start of the new year many of us make New Year's Resolutions. Some people want to lose weight, some want to accomplish a goal and some want to find a way to make a difference. A simple change you can make in your day to day life is to Become Carton Smart. So, what is carton smart you ask? Instead of purchasing foods in cans, purchase them in cartons.
Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
1 lb uncooked spicy Italian sauage3 slices uncooked bacon, chopped {you can use Bacon Bits instead}
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes {I like it spicy so if you don't use less}
5-6 red potatoes, cubed
1/2 bunch fresh kale chopped
4 cups chicken stock {I used Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Simply Stock in the Tetra Pak® carton}
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown the sausage in a pot, if there is a lot of excess grease in the pot drain the excess grease off. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook for about a minute (be sure not to burn the garlic or it will taste bitter) and then add 1/2 a cup of the chicken stock to the pot. Stir the chicken stock and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the chicken stock, water, potatoes and kale to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Then stir in the heavy cream, salt and pepper and let sit for about 3 minutes until soup has reached the desired consistency.
