Sausage, kale and potato soup

You may have noticed I am trying to eat healthier. You also might have noticed, if you live in the midwest or on the east coast, that it's gotten cold again. And there is a TON of snow outside. Here in Philly we almost never get snow. If we do, it doesn't stick. Right now there is snow that's stuck, which is so exciting for me. I'm a New England girl, I love the snow and the change of seasons and the cold because I know that somewhere out there, spring is plotting its return. What I'm trying to say is that it's soup weather. This is a good one. It's healthy, to balance out all the butterscotch brownies I've been eating. Kale is super good for you. You can add a can of white beans if you want, I've been meaning to but keep just making this soup as it is. It's so good. And cheap. I know you guys all want to eat cheap things. 

1 T olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb sausage, casings removed (I used a mix of sweet and hot Italian, 3 links)

1 t paprika (smokey or hot are extra good)

1 t chili powder (optional)

2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

6-8 c water

1 t powdered soup seasoning (I used Vegeta) or 1 bouillon cube

1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped

Heat olive oil in a deep soup pot. Cook onion until starting to soften, then add garlic. Cook a minute, and add sausage, crumbling it into the pot. Cook until sausage is starting to brown, then add paprika and chili powder. Dissolve soup seasoning in water, then add to the soup pot. Stir to get the brown bits off the bottom, then bring to a boil. Add kale, cover, and cook half an hour or so. Taste for salt, you shouldnt need any because the soup seasoning is salty enough. Serve with a sprinkle of pepper, and Parmesan cheese is good on top too.