Red Beans and Rice

With the weather getting cooler, my mind turns to soups and other comfort foods. This recipe for Red Beans and Rice is really delicious and it makes enough for leftovers or to freeze for future meals.

Stout Mac and Cheese

Every month, I am excited to receive the new issue of Cooking Light magazine for the new dinner ideas I find after perusing the pages of this magazine. I usually have to "real foodify" the recipes, but that's ok by me! My family enjoys the new ideas that wind up on our table. This recipe is one from the April 2013 issue, which I've switched up a bit.

Breakfast Cassarole

This is a "make-over" recipe of a favorite breakfast of my husband's that seems so unhealthy in its original form that I cannot imagine the horror one's body feels after eating it. This version improves on the original version vastly by switching out all of the processed ingredients for real food ingredients. You will not miss the junk ingredients in the least bit.

Chicken Breakfast Sausage Patties

1 pound ground chicken breast
About 1/2 peeled and diced medium apple (gala or other red)
2 T olive oil
2 T minced onion
1 - 2 T maple syrup
1 t garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 - 3 t dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 to 1 t sea salt
2 T ground flax seeds

Mix all ingredients together, form patties with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup meat mixture and saute in pan over medium heat. Approximately 5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.

Very quick prep time, about 5 minutes and then cook time.

Comments: This is the first time I made this recipe, which is modified from several I found online and in books. It is very quick and easy and I was suprised at how good this sausage tasted (and that it really tasted like sausage!)... I would not change a thing about the way I made it this time. A word of caution, I did not measure my seasonings and tried to approximate the amounts above, so just use your best judgement. You could probably easily sub in ground turkey meat and I think if I wasn't making this for a six-year old to eat, it would taste good spicy - with hot seeds or some cayenne thrown in.

Sausage & Peppers

2-3 turkey Italian sausage links
2 cups Marinara Sauce or 2 small cans of Hunt's tomato sauce
1 bell pepper, chopped medium to large
1/2 onion, chopped medium to large

Brown sausage on all sides, add peppers and onions and cook til soft. Add Marinara Sauce or Hunt's sauce (cans swished with water as needed). If using Hunt's sauce, you will need to season with oregano and basil, maybe salt and probably pepper. Simmer until sausage is done, about 15-20 minutes. Serve as-is, over rice, or on a dense roll.

This is very fast to do, especially since the onions and peppers are rough-chopped. Cook time is the longest part. My grandma made sausage and peppers and this makes me think of her.

I have to add a belated follow-up comment. I just made this recipe this morning for lunch today or tomorrow. I needed to use up two italian turkey sausages and some leftover marinara sauce from earlier in the week. After taking the photo, I actually cut the sausages in half (to serve more than two people) and left it to simmer on the stove for about an hour on the lowest possible setting, stirring occasionally. At lunch time my husband remembered we had saved two Italian rolls in the deep freeze from our last visit out East. While we generally try to avoid white flour, we do make exceptions and Calandra's rolls are one of them! If you can make this sausage & peppers recipe and enjoy it on a dense Italian bread, like a Calandra's roll, I think you will really be blown away by how delicious this simiple recipe is.

Photo shows the sausage simmering on the stove top.

Chunky Sausage Pasta and Broccolini

12 ounces uncooked corn pasta (or your favorite whole-grain and/or gluten-free pasta)
1/2 bell pepper, any color, chopped
1/2 small to medium onion, chopped
7 or 8 green olives rough chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms, fresh
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (swished with 1/4 can of water)
1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes
About 1 T capers
3 to 4 cloves garlic
3 links turkey italian sausage
Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, basil, oregano
A little red wine, if desired (about 1/4 cup)
A small amount of grated parmesan or romano cheese to sprinkle on top

Broccolini - olive oil, 2 packages of broccolini, onion powder, garlic powder, hot seeds, salt & pepper.

Cut turkey sausage in half and brown in a medium saucepan. Some of the insides will fall out of the casing and that is fine. Cook on medium heat until browned on all sides. In the meantime, chop all vegetables and wash & chop (in half or thirds) broccolini. Place broccolini in a pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, onion & garlic salt, and hot seeds (if desired). Leave as is for now. Fill a large saucepan with salted water and heat to boiling.

When turkey sausage is browned, deglaze pan with red wine if usuing. Then add the peppers, onion, olives, capers, and mushrooms. Cook until soft. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, season to taste, and simmer. The water will probably be ready by now. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Turn the heat on the burner with the broccolini and cook (occassoinally tossing) until done, I prefer a little crispy about 5 minutes.

When pasta is done, serve with sauce and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan or romano cheese. This takes about 30 minutes for everything.

Comments: I formerly made this without the sausage, but the husband likes "meat", so I added the italian turkey sausage and it is very flavorful. We all enjoy this meal very much. If you wanted to keep it a vegetarian meal, it is very delicious that way and if I was just cooking for myself, that is how I would make it. The broccolini is my "quick" version and everyone that I make it for really likes it.

Sauce Simmering

Sauce and pasta with broccolini