Sauerkraut Soup

1 pound smoked sausage (kielbasa) large link, casing left on
6 Tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 cup all purpose flour (or a suitable gluten free option-see note)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, rounded
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups milk
1 cup half and half
1 (8 ounce) can sauerkraut, with juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Chop the sausage coarsely by hand or in a food processor.  Transfer the chopped sausage and onion to a deep pan, and saute over medium heat until the sausage is lightly browned, about 8 minutes.  On a small plate or wax paper, combine the flour, thyme, and pepper.  Add to the sausage and brown all together until the mixture bubbles up, about 5 minutes.  Add the milk, and half and half all at once, and cook, stirring until the mixture again bubbles, about 5 minutes.  Add the sauerkraut and its juice, and bring to a boil; the mixture will continue to thicken.  Taste for tartness, and add the lemon juice if desired.  Add parsley and serve at once.

Tim's Notes: Since I am gluten free, I substitute potato flour or potato starch to thicken this soup.  I also like a bit more thyme, probably about a heaping teaspoon.  Helps to crush it, too, before adding.  I also add the lemon juice because it brings out the flavor of the sauerkraut.  You wouldn't think this recipe would need salt because it contains salty ingredients, but I find it needs a bit of salt because the milk and half and half mute the flavors and makes it a bit bland.  However, before adding salt (or the lemon for that matter) taste it to see what you think.  This soup is also better refrigerated over night and reheated the next day.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground turkey or 1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (8ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can Mexican style tomatoes (such as Rot-el with lime and cilantro)

1.  Brown meat and onions; drain if necessary or desired.
2. Mix ranch dressing and taco seasoning into meat.
3. Without draining, add all of the other ingredients.
4. Bring to a boil; turn down heat, and simmer for 1 hour.

Optional ingredients:  Tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, green onion, chopped olives, or anything else you would put on a taco.  Use any or all of these things as desired.

Tim's Notes:  My friend Caley wheels and deals with the ingredients in this recipe.  She prefers the ground beef over the ground turkey.  She omits the Ranch dressing mix. She substitutes white beans for the pintos (And you could even sub black beans in this recipe if you wanted.) She doesn't use the Mexican style tomatoes, but uses a 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes in place of the 8 ounce can of regular tomatoes.  The can sizes have gotten smaller since this recipe was written so adjust accordingly.  I like this recipe as is, but use your imagination and play around with it to suit your tastes.  I do think the optional ingredients (whatever you choose to use) really make this soup.  It's also good (hot or cold!) as a dip with tortilla chips. It can be gluten free (if you watch your ingredients...i.e. cheap generic taco seasoning has wheat flour, so buy brand name!) and the original recipe says low fat (without the extras like chips and sour cream, of course!)