Monday Dinner: Chard and yam soup

Tonight, I made hearty chard and yam soup. It's little different from regular chard soup because I used yam instead of white potatoes. I hope you enjoy it!

Chard and yam soup (for 3-4 people):
Italian sausage (2) - Buy fresh, uncooked one
Lima beans (1 cup cooked) - or any of your favorite beans!
Chard (2 cups chopped)
Yam (1 medium - 1 cup chopped)
Onion (1/2 medium - 1/2 cup diced)
Celery (2 stalks - 1/2 cup diced)
Canned tomato, whole or diced (1 cup)
Chicken stock (3 cups)
Salt
Pepper
Bay leaf (1)
Olive oil (1 Tbsp)
Dried oregano (a pinch) - optional

1. If you are using dried beans, soak them overnight and cook them in a large pot until they're not completely tender. Because beans cook more in the soup, I like to leave them half-cooked, but if you're using cooked beans that's OK.
2. Cut off the hard part of chard and chop it up. Dice the onion and celery stalks. Slice sausages into small pieces. Cut yam into small pieces.
3. In a dutch oven, heat olive oil on a medium-high heat. Saute sausages until they're lightly brown. Add the onion and celery pieces. Turn the heat down to medium low. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and keep stirring until they're nice and tender.
4. Add chicken stock and canned tomatoes. Turn the heat up to medium-high.
5. Once the soup boils, add the yam, chard, and beans. Add about 2 tsp of salt. Add pepper and a bay leaf.
6. Put the lid on and cook until yam is nice and tender. In the last minute, add dried oregano.

If you're not a big fan of yams, you can use regular white potatoes, but it's really worth a try!

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