Collards and Turkey Sausage Soup

I created this recipe this past week when my husband, aka the Texan, was craving some comfort food. I decided that some warm soup for these very cold (brrrr) East Tennessee days we are having was just the ticket. I happened to have a big bag of shredded collards, and I came up with this delicious, warm, and comforting crock pot soup.

I wanted to incorporate some of the veggies I had in the veggie drawer of the refrigerator. So I added in crunchy carrots, shredded brussels sprouts, and in the last hour of cooking time some kidney beans as well. I would have preferred black eyed peas, but did not have any on hand. For some nice flavor, I sautéed the italian turkey sausage with chopped red onions in a teaspoon of avocado oil with a few drops of doTERRA Oregano oil dropped into the avo oil for flavor and health.

I am a huge fan of incorporating essential oils in my cooking. If you use another brand, make sure it is a reputable company. I am very weary of using anything that is not 3rd party cGMP certified. What can I say? I am all about health and nutrition. I have to keep my family safe. So doTERRA is my essential oil go to.

I didn’t have much time to make this warm and cozy soupy happiness for the Texan before dinner time, so I pre cooked the sausage before adding into crockpot. You can always put everything into the crockpot and cook a little longer until sausage is cooked through.

Collards and Italian Turkey Sausage Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups of Shredded Collards
• 1 cup of Shredded Brussels Sprouts
• 1 cup of pre sliced carrots or slice your own
• 2 cans of kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 Chopped Red Onion
• 1 – 19.5 oz package of Jennie-O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage
• 32 oz carton of Organic Chicken Bone Broth
• 1 cup of Unsalted Cashews
• 12 oz of almond milk
• 2 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning,
• 2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon of ground garlic or you can use 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic minced
• 1 Teaspoon of Avocado Oil
• 2-3 drops of doTERRA Oregano Oil (OPTIONAL)
• Oscar Mayer Selects Natural Bacon (OPTIONAL Topping)

1. Soak your cup of Unsalted Cashews in water for no less than 2-3 hours. (I did this using a mason jar during the cook time for the soup.) Drain and rinse well. This will be the thickener for your soup which you will use in the last step.
2. Squeeze out the Sausage from the casing into your pan. Brown the Italian Turkey sausage with Red Onions in Avocado Oil with a few drops of doTERRA Oregano Oil. (You can opt to squeeze the sausage out of the links and add into crockpot for cooking, but I preferred the way the onions and sausage simmered in pan for taste.
3. Fill your Crock Pot with the Collards, Carrots, Brussels Sprouts, and Chicken Broth. Add seasonings. Once your Italian Turkey Sausage has browned, add it into crock pot.
4. Cook on high for 2 hours or Low for 4 hours. Add in the drained and rinsed kidney beans. Cook an additional 1 hour on high OR 2 hours on low. (Total of 3 hours on high, or 6 hours on low)
5. Last, blend the drained and rinsed cashews with 12 ounces of almond milk for 2 minutes. I used my Quisinart hand immersion blender for this step. Add the cashew almond mix to the crock pot. Voila, a delicious creamy soup without dairy.

Your soup is now ready to enjoy. I topped mine with crumbled Natural Bacon for more flavor. What can I say?! I am a healthy fit chick that loves bacon, but does not want the added nitrates or nitrites that are in most preserved meats.

I feel like the creamy blended cashews and almond milk really steps up the soup game. This is a great recipe for those wanting to stay away from dairy or who have milk allergies like myself.

Hope you enjoy this warm and cozy super foods soup.

Changing Lives Every Day,

~Dawn

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