Carrabba's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

This recipe cam in an email I receive with restaurant recipes. It is so good! It's also simple to make. You could even make it easier by putting everything in the slow cooker. If your family doesn't like spicy, you can easily use regular Italian sausage and omit the red pepper. I'm not a measurer when it comes to recipes like this. The only changes I made were - I used 1 whole onion, 4-5 carrots, 3 cloves garlic, and about 2 tsp each of dried basil and parsley. I added a little extra bullion at the end to enhance flavor.

Carrabba's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced onion
3/4 cup grated and minced carrot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound uncooked hot Italian sausage
2 ounces diced ham (about 1/2 cup, cut from a ham steak)
7 cups water
5 cups chicken broth
1 pound dry lentils
1 medium tomato, diced
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat up olive oil in a Dutch oven or large sauce pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Remove sausage from casing, and add it to the pan. Saute for 8 minutes, stirring often. Break up the sausage into bite-size bits as it cooks. Add ham, and cook for an additional minute.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

3. Serve 1 cup for a "cup" portion, or serve 2 cups for a "bowl"serving.

Makes 12 to 13 cups.

Zesty Salad Dressing

Some have been asking me for this salad recipe. Sorry it has taken so long to post but it's really nothing special. Just stuff I've thrown together in the right ratios I suppose. But I guess the thing that people seem to like the most is the dressing. This recipe is good for a huge salad and maybe even some to save for later depending on how much you use. I like to throw it over some fresh greens, tons of sprouts, a little tomato, avocado and some cooked or sprouted quinoa (since it is a complete protein.) Use whatever veggies you have lying around or whatever is in season. I wasn't much of a salad eater until I found a dairy-free dressing that tasted good. I guess it's a slight variation off of my friend Kira's dressing that she posted on our vegan blog a while back with a little extra zing. But that recipe was a great place for me to start. Feel free to vary it up and try a little more or less of certain ingredients.

1 Cup Olive Oil

1/2 Flaxseed Oil (for a good dose of omegas)

10 cloves Raw Garlic (or more if you like it spicier)

3 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 C Braggs Amino Acids

1 1/2 TBSP of your favorite Mustard (I like spicy brown)

1/4 of a small Sweet Onion

1/2 inch Ginger Root

1/4 Cup Kosher Soy Bacon Bits (for their smoky flavor, I find these at Good Earth in the bulk aisle)

Throw all ingredients into a vitamix or other good blender and blend till creamy. Toss into your salad or over some rice or anything. This dressing keeps well too, so double the recipe and store some for the next day. Enjoy!