Status: ROGUE

When Momma moved into her first apartment, it was also the first time we had cable. I was about 8 years old, and fully over the moon-- Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network had my entire heart! I also really enjoyed waiting for people to order videos on The Box. But there were times I had to share the TV with Momma. This is where my love of food really started to evolve.

One of her favorite channels is Food Network. Together we enjoyed watching The Two Hot Tamales, and Mario B-- but most of all, we loved Emeril Lagasse! He was the pop-star of the food world in the mid-90’s. Though Momma never made anything from his show, she would get some really good ideas on how to spice up her cooking. But if Emeril was the pop-star, G. Garvin was the funkmaster takeover in the 2000’s. He was loud; he was confident; he was bold in the kitchen...he made foods that were native to me and brought me closer to the kitchen. Now mind you, I was not the biggest fan of his bravado, but Momma and I would suffer through it just to see what he would come up with.

As I was making my way back to the (new) kitchen I felt I needed the same confidence G. would display for his audience. So, I decided to take a crack at one of his recipes: White Bean and Kielbasa Soup. And to be honest, it worked! I made my way around my kitchen and really made the space my own. Since I totally went ROGUE on this, I even had to shout “BAM” a couple of times as I added things to the crock-pot. Please see my remix below.

Money Matters
To make the full soup, I spent about $15 for 6 bowls- $2.50/serving! I am sure this soup could have been cheaper if I went for a different sausage, but I wanted a different flavor.

#ROGUElyfe

I used chorizo because I just love the flavors it gives any dish.
ince I wanted a Latino feel, I added cilantro for the garnish.
I wanted more veggies, insert red and yellow bell peppers...and the colors are so pretty.
I used more seasonings than the original soup called for.

My Take
1lb chorizo thickly sliced
¼ bag dried northern white beans, (soak following the package directions)
2-3 small sweet red and/or yellow peppers roughly diced
1 small yellow onion roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
2 cups of chicken stock
Salt, smoked Cayenne pepper, and cumin to taste
¼ bushel of cilantro for garnish

Directions

Once the beans have been soaked and ready, add them and everything else into the crock-pot. If you need a little guidance for the seasonings, add a tbsp of each.

Turn the crock-pot on low, if you have the time and allow it to cook for 6-8 hours or overnight. If you do not have the time, then cook on high for 3-4 hours.

When the beans have been cooked through, add more seasonings as needed. Serve with cilantro on top, and enjoy!

Happy Cooking Y’all :)