Tomato, Kale and Turkey Soup in March

This is Hot Lips (notice the green chili for a mouth) and my daughter. We  quickly made Hot Lips just before the sun went down, which meant we didn't have much time to find him decent facial features. Poor guy,  he got what I could in the fridge veggie drawer. And unfortunately he has just one arm to wave with, but it's a nice arm.
Here in Oregon, in the Willamette Valley  we don't usually get snow  in March - so we had to have a little fun!  The cold weather inspired this next recipe for a bowl of  hot homemade soup.

Home Canned Tomatoes

Home canned tomatoes can't be beat! The flavor alone is worth the time, not to mention the health benefits.
I work full time so I am picky about what I do on the weekends, but I consider home canned tomatoes definitely worth the time.
My other inspiration for this soup was garbanzo beans. I read they are great as a thickener for soups when pureed and wanted to give it a try.
 I am sure they're better if  not from a can....but sometime you just use what you have.  That seems to be a theme in this post.


Tomato, Kale and Turkey Soup
Ingredients:
32 ounces tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock or broth ( I like Costco's organic chicken stock)
1 can garbanzo  beans (chickpeas) pureed in a food processor
1 bunch of Kale
1 tsp Salt
1/2-1 tsp Rosemary
1 -2 Tsp crushed fennel seeds (helps the turkey to taste like sausage)
1 pound ground turkey
* Fiesta fajitas seasoning   http://www.fiestaspices.com/index.asp?page=fajita

Directions:

• Place in a large pot over med. high heat; tomatoes, chicken stock, slowly pour in pureed garbanzo beans, add seasonings.

•  Sprinkle ground turkey  with a moderate amount of  fajita seasoning  and cook till done and crumbled. 

•  Cut kale into bit size pieces.

•  Add turkey and kale to soup. Simmer 10 more minutes.

* This is my favorite brand and I like the fajita combo of spices.  You could sub a multi purpose seasoning that has garlic. I just like the smell of meat cooking when it has been seasoned.
* The seasonings are estimates, start with the smaller amount and add more if you like. 

Kale,Tomato and Turkey soup.  Warm deliciousness!

Marley & Hot Lips enjoying a little sunshine the next day. (At least Marley is...)