Sausage and Bean Pantry Soup

I occasionally get asked about how I shop for food. Obviously, I love buying straight from the farm, which usually involves meeting farmers in random parking lots around town for a produce/eggs/meat/bread for cash swap. I get great satisfaction growing my own herbs and veggies while using the bounty of meat and fish that lands in our freezer thanks to my Cabelas-addict husband. I love shopping at farmers markets and food co-ops, and can't wait for the Bismarck co-op to open its doors. 

But I still buy food online. I still go to the grocery store. I still buy bananas and avocados. I still have not-Pollan-approved marshmallows and commercial graham crackers in my pantry. I remain unconvinced that there is a "right" way and a "wrong" way when it comes to your kitchen and your food choices (and life's too short not to have s'more ingredients at the ready in your pantry), but I do know that I personally have three food priorities when it comes to the health of me, my family and my community:

1) Actively support my food-growing neighbors by buying local

2) Lean towards the natural, less processed side of things (80/20 rule)

3) Work towards grace in the kitchen: less waste, more resourcefulness

This soup is a good example. Here's a sneak peek into the pantry stocking process that made this bowl of goodness possible:

• Broth: turkey stock from our spring wild turkey, a stock that included a collection of vegetable scraps kept in my freezer, accumulated over the last couple of months
• Sausage: venison from last season's deer, ground up by yours truly, mixed with pork and seasonings during the annual family sausage making gathering
• Beans: dried black beans soaked overnight, then cooked until softened, stored in the bean broth in the freezer. 
• Frozen corn: harvested by my mom-in-law at an uncle's farm, gifted to us each fall
• Tomatoes: Amazon bulk buy of Muir Glen organic fire roasted tomatoes
• Veggies: leftover onions and peppers from a recent scrambled egg taco craving
• Chile powder: recent New Mexico vacation souvenir
• Queso fresco: grocery store cheese section

Add that all to a pot and you've got yourself a tasty dinner. Even my "I don't like beans" husband dug into it with gusto. Here's to the joys of simple food, a well-stocked pantry and the graceful kitchen. 

Sausage and Bean Pantry Soup

Adapted from recipe in June 2014 issue of Family Circle

2 Tbls. olive oil

2 cups chopped onions and peppers

8 oz. bulk sausage

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups black beans

1 cup frozen corn

1 tsp. chile powder

Dash of salt

Toppings: queso fresco, cilantro, chopped green onion, sour cream, tortilla chips...any or all of the above

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers and sausage and cook until sausage is browned and vegetables are softened. Stir in tomatoes, broth, beans, corn, chile powder, and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. To serve, spoon soup into bowls and top with your preferred toppings.