Do you ever find yourself with too many onions? I tend to buy lots of onions at once because I use them so often... or so I think! I frequently end up with more onions than I think I can use and this recipe for French Onion Soup is my go-to to use them up.  Not only is this soup delicious, it is quite easy too! Since I can't really serve just soup for dinner (remember my post about sides?), I made an simple kale salad with things I had in my pantry.  In fact, I didn't have to go to the store for any of this recipe, I had everything on hand.  That is as easy as it gets in my book!

French Onion Soup

3 yellow onions, chopped

olive oil

8 cups of beef broth

1 1/2 cups of red wine

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 dried bay leaves

salt

freshly ground black pepper

French bread

slices of cheese (swiss, provolone, or gruyere)

shredded gruyere cheese (optional)

parmesan cheese

Add the onions and some olive oil to a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot.  Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until onions have browned to a caramel color.  Add the red wine, beef broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, a teaspoon of salt and a half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper to the pot.  Bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 30 minutes. 

Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves before spooning soup into oven-proof bowls.  Add a slice of French bread on top of the soup and then place a slice of cheese on top of the bread.  Add a sprinkling of shredded gruyere and parmesan mixture to the top of the cheese slice.  Place under the broiler for 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browned.  Enjoy!

Simple Kale Salad

with balsamic dressing

1 bunch of kale, sliced very thin

1/4 cup of pecans

2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 tablespoon of dijon mustard

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Place the kale in your salad serving bowl.  Top with the pecans, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.  To make the dressing, place the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously until all ingredients are combined.  Pour over salad and serve!