Thursday, November 18, 2010

Smoked Turkey, Lentil and Kale Soup

My sweetheart of a Mom brought me a smoked turkey leg the other day and I knew right away that I wanted to make split pea soup with it.  Only I didn’t have split peas, just loads of green lentils.  Never to let something so minor stop me, I forged ahead and was rewarded with a terrific pot of flavourful, thick, hearty soup!  Check it out!
Smoked Turkey, Lentil and Kale SoupIMG_4201
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 4 cup stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cup green lentils
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 smoked turkey leg
  • 1 packed cup of chopped kale
  • salt & pepper to taste
  1. Heat oil in a large pot and add all chopped veggies.  Cook until soft 5-8 minutes
  2. Add garlic, bay leaves, salt & pepper.  Cook 1 minute more
  3. Add smoked turkey leg, stock and water.  Bring to a boil
  4. Add lentils, bring back to boil then turn temp down to a simmer
  5. Partially cover and let simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  6. With approx 45 minutes of cooking time left add chopped kale
  7. Remove turkey leg and set aside too cool slightly.  Puree soup with an immersion blender.  **If you  like your soup a bit thinner, add water accordingly.  I added an extra 2 cups**
  8. Keep soup on low heat while you remove and chopped all the meat from the bone.  Add turkey back to the pot and cook just a few more minutes to heat
  9. Serve and enjoy! IMG_4203 I’ve been eating this all week like it’s my job.  And boy have I ever been loving this job!  Haha!  Surprisingly, DS also loved this soup.  I think it was the smoked turkey that really reigned in his taste buds. I went home for lunch on Tuesday and while there decided to throw some wild rice in the crock pot to see how it would cook versus the stove top.IMG_4204   I had approx 1.5 cups of rice to which I added 5 cups of water.  It cooked on low for 3.5-ish hours.  Here are the results:IMG_4207 It turned out fabulous!  There was some water still at the bottom so I had to strain it, but the rice itself didn’t get mushy at all.  I now have four 1 cup servings hanging out in the freezer and have been eating the rest over the course of a few days.  YUM!  Do you like wild rice??
    So we’re a little more than halfway through November and I think it’s about high time I showed you what my hubby’s Movember stash is looking like!IMG_4206 I think it’s coming along awesome!  DD absolutely HATES it.  She can’t wait until he shaves it off.  LOL  This is what he looked like on November 1:IMG_4035
    If you’ve been following along you’ll remember that he’s growing said stash to help raise money to fight prostate cancer.  You can click on the link ^above^ if you’d like to donate!
    FOOD!IMG_4217 IMG_4179 IMG_4198 IMG_4212 IMG_4222 IMG_4205 IMG_4213 IMG_4216 The above is wild rice, kale and dried cranberries.
    IMG_4188 IMG_4226 IMG_4227 IMG_4178 IMG_4211 This was a great meal!  Buffalo chicken shake & bake, sautéed kale and wild rice.   IMG_4214
    IMG_4221Would it surprise you that I ate this bag in 5 days?  Probably not!  Hehe!
    Wanna see something cute?  Here are my niblets in their school photos from last year:IMG_4224 And here they are in their photos from this year!IMG_4225 Isn’t it amazing how much change can happen in a year?  I see it loud and clear in my daughter.  And yes, she is only 11.  DS is 8.  YIKES!
    Bye for now!!

15 comments:

  1. DD and DS are growing up so fast!! They both have such cute smiles...love DS's super wiiiiiiide grin :)

    I love wild rice....and candy cane kisses!

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  2. oh my gosh. i probably have told you a thousand times, but your kids are SO cuuuute! your daughter is gorgeous and is growing up to be so lovely! her hair is adorable. the bear is looking good on the hubs too! mmm i need those hershey kisses!

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  3. The soup looks fantastic Krista! I love having a big pot with tons of leftovers for the week (makes life so much easier). I just bought a bag of wild rice, I'm totally going to try and cook it up crock pot style now. The kids have grown up SO much in 1 year! Their pictures are fabulous. Happy (almost) weekend!!

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  4. You hubby is so handsome, DS is so pretty and DD is so cute! such a lovely family~~~
    turkey and kale soup? I bet it tastes good! It's about time to get some turkey here too!!! :D
    oh... and wild rice is really chewy, I had it once and love it! the only problem was that I had to soak it for 24 hs! maybe I should try again with my new rice cooker!
    happy weekend Krista!

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  5. Great way to modify the recipe by using lentils instead!! Looks like it turned out tasty :-) And the school pics are adorable..your daughter definitely looks older than she is!

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  6. You have the cutest family! Including your hubby ;) Don't worry, I'm not a crazy stalker or anything. I have to say though, I agree with your daughter that the stash has GOT to go!! When is he supposed to shave it?! End of November?? Yikes. I hate when Nick has hair on his face because it pricks me when we kiss, it's a turnoff.

    Anyway, thanks for this soup recipe, it sounds so good. I love kale and I'm on a huge kale kick right now, adding it to everything!

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  7. Love the idea of adding smoked turkey to split pea (or green lentil :) ) soup! Definitely trying that one on a cold winter night. Love the pics of your cute kiddos!

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  8. Your children are adorable! Such a change from one year to the next. That soup sounds great too. I love lentils!

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  9. Oh my goodness that soup looks amazing. I cannot believe how much your daughter changed in a year. She is absolutely gorgeous! Takes after her mom for sure!

    xo

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  10. I love doing old school photo comparisons. Your kidlets are adorable. I can't believe how much they've changed in a year. They're such good lookers! Your hubby has a nice Movember stache going there too, I get a nice chuckle every time I walk around school and see a sea of them all over the place. We're all going to be swimming in stache hair trimmings once the month is over... yikes haha.

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  11. I like the use of smoked turkey instead of ham in your soup. My mom always makes it with ham. Although, can't say I've ever had smoked turkey before. But I like the idea of it for sure!

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  12. Kids grow up so quickly! Love their school pics!

    Your soup sounds great! I think what I love most about making soups is that pretty much anything goes... My kind of cooking! :-)

    Have a great weekend, Krista!

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  13. omg your kids are growing up so quickly!!! and looking absolutely radiant to boot!!!

    and your husbands stach cracks me up. i remember when my dad grew out a beard (he normally only has a mustache); i wanted him to shave it off asap!!! hahaha!

    that soup looks great too! lentils go great in everything!

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  14. HAHAHA! Your sweetie is so funny with the stashe. I love it. And, I kind love that DD hates it :)

    Five days is way longer than a bag of candy like that would ever last in my hands! Good for you :) Have you seen the Butterfinger singles?! They are bell-shaped and in the Christmas candy aisle...I'm tempted by them!

    Your soup sounds wonderful. I'm sure we don't have avocado oil here but I think I have everything else and I'm in such a lentil soup mood lately. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

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  15. your kids are ridiculously attractive! haha i realize that may be a weird thing to say but i know u know what i mean, especially to see them grown up and the transformation in the two sets of photos! but they get their good looks from Mama.. i mean, DUH!!!

    mm i had some "stick-to-your-ribs" warming soup yesterday too. wish it has some smoked turkey in it tho <3 looks nice and thick too- nothing like a hearty soup to take the freeze out of the body <3

    xoxo

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