RECIPES FOR 2011: Italian Sausage Soup . . . Baked Sweet Potato Fries . . . Grits, Cheese and Kale Souffle . . . Spicy Nutmeg Carrots

Italian Sausage Soup

½ pound sweet Italian sausage, ground

2/3 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

6 cups beef broth

1 15-ounce can navy beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, thawed and drained and squeezed dry

Cook ground sausage over medium heat in soup pot until meat is browned and crumbly. Add rice, beef broth, beans, tomatoes and pepper. Bring to simmer. Cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in chopped spinach. Let simmer a few minutes.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 143 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 8 milligrams cholesterol, 23 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams protein, 736 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.

Peel potatoes. Cut into ¼-by-2-inch strips. Place potato strips in plastic food bag. Drizzle with olive oil. Seal bag and shake to coat potatoes. Spread in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes; stir gently, turning strips over. Bake 15 minutes; stir gently. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Season hot potatoes with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Yield: Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 129 calories, 7 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 16 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 275 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

Grits, Cheese and Kale Souffle

¼ cup bread crumbs

About 4 cups kale leaves, stems discarded and greens coarsely chopped

1 cup half-and-half

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup regular-cooking grits (preferably stone-ground)

5 eggs, separated

1¼ cups coarsely grated Cheddar cheese

4 tablespoons butter

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup chopped cooked ham (optional)

Freshly ground pepper

Tabasco sauce

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 1½-quart souffle dish or casserole, sprinkle bread crumbs over bottom and sides, and set aside.

In pot of boiling water, blanch kale for 1 minute; drain and set aside.

In heavy 3-quart saucepan, combine half-and-half, salt, grits and 3 cups water. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until thick and creamy, 20 to 60 minutes.

Beat egg yolks, beat in spoonful of cooked grits, and stir mixture back into pan. Remove from heat. Stir in kale, cheese, butter, garlic, ham if using and pepper and Tabasco to taste.

Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold them into grits. Spoon into prepared dish. Bake until golden brown and set, 30 to 40 minutes. (If top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.) Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 310 calories, 19 grams fat (11 grams saturated), 178 milligrams cholesterol, 13 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 827 milligrams sodium.

Spicy Nutmeg Carrots

1 16-ounce package baby carrots

2 tablespoons butter, melted

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Cook carrots as directed on package.

Mix butter, nutmeg, garlic salt and red pepper in small bowl. Pour over carrots; toss to coat well. Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 5.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 80 calories, 4 grams fat, 1 gram protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 12 milligrams cholesterol, 180 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

Source: McCormick.