Hopefully you have recovered from Thanksgiving.  While it’s a joyful holiday, the cooking and the over-eating is enough to make anyone want to alternate between fasting and sleeping until Christmas.  Instead, go pick up Feel Good Food by Giada de Laurentiis.  I am a big fan of Giada; I own all of her cookbooks and use them often.  Her recipes are easy to follow and the books contain a great mix of both healthy and indulgent dishes.  I have always hoped that she would write a healthy cookbook because we all know that there is no way that she is eating cheesy baked pasta with heavy cream every day.  Feel Good Food is full of delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and even juice and smoothie recipes.  As I lose my baby weight, it will be so nice to cook from a book that is not written by a diet expert, but a food expert.

Once you can stomach turkey again, you should try this soup.  It is delicious, satisfying, and gluten free (and dairy free if you omit the parmesan cheese).

Turkey Kale and Brown Rice Soup (serves 4)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 large shallots, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces
8 ounces ground white turkey meat, broken into small chunks – I used 16 oz to “beef up” the soup.
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 small bunch kale, center ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (4 packed cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, carrots, and bell pepper and sauté, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown and soften slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the turkey and stir until the meat turns white and begins to color very slightly around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the herbes de Provence and stir for 1 minute.

Add the broth, diced tomatoes, and cooked rice and bring to a boil. Stir in the kale and season with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the parsley and some Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

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