We are finally this week working on our old house to get it ready for sale. Tony is starting by getting the holes patched and ready for paint. We still have a bunch of stuff over there that needs to be moved, sold or donated. I have a feeling most of the stuff will not be moved. Since we have lived without most of these things for a while now, there’s no sense in cluttering our new house.

This week I am doing a recipe that’s fairly simple. I am starting with the recipe for Southwest Barley and Lentil Soup from Taste of Home. This soup looks great, but has many high sodium ingredients. Sausage is notorious for being very salty. There’s a way around that with ground meat and the right seasonings. The barley has to go because it’s not gluten free. Finally, the tomatoes are going to have to go too. With the right swaps, this recipe should still be great.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I replaced the kielbasa with ground turkey seasoned like kielbasa to increase the protein and reduce the sodium.
• I replaced the tomatoes with pumpkin puree and red bell pepper.
• I replaced the canned black beans with dry to reduce the sodium.
• I replaced the barley with sorghum to make this gluten free and use up some extra grains I have in the kitchen.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Southwest Sorghum and Lentil Soup

Serves 12

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 3 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1 package (16 ounces) dried brown lentils, rinsed
• 1 cup dry black beans
• 3/4 cup sorghum
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 10 cups low sodium chicken broth

1. Mix the ground turkey with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and marjoram. Set aside.
2. Add the oil to a pressure cooker. Heat on saute mode.
3. Add in the bell peppers and onion. Sauté until the onions are translucent.
4. Add in the turkey mixture and crumble until browned.
5. Add in the carrots, garlic, cumin, pumpkin puree, black beans, sorghum, corn and chicken broth.
6. Cover and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Allow for a natural release.
7. Add in the lentils and cook on sauté mode for another 15 minutes.
8. Serve.