Smoked Sausage, Tomatoes and Israeli Couscous

This started out as a demonstration idea for Trader Joe’s, using only 3 of their products. But I added a few things to make it a little tastier and more nutritious.

Israeli couscous is one of my favorite sides these days, so easy to prepare and the texture is chewy and soft, and it goes with just about anything. It also tastes great cooked in milk with a little sugar and vanilla, and sprinkle a few toasted slivered almonds on top before eating. It’s a great alternative to oatmeal in the morning, or it could easily be a dessert in the evening.

1 Small white onion, diced

4 Cloves garlic, minced

2C Braising greens (collards, kale, Swiss chard etc) roughly chopped

28oz Can diced tomatoes, in their juices

4 Smoked sausages (I used smoked-chicken-turkey sweet basil sausage), cut into bite size pieces

8oz Israeli couscous

1/8tsp cinnamon

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat; when hot add 2T oil and the onions. When the onions begin to turn translucent add the garlic and greens; saute until wilted. Stir in the tomatoes and sausages. Reduce the heat to a low, stir occasionally as you cook the couscous.

In a small sauce pan heat 1T oil or butter, when hot add the couscous and cinnamon. Stir occasionally until the couscous is golden brown and toasted. Add 1 3/4C water and a little salt, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is cooked through.

Taste the tomato-sausage mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over the couscous in bowls.

Serves:3-4

Red Wine Braised Mushrooms and Greens

If I wasn’t dating my boyfriend I would be eating this a lot, but since he hates mushrooms I only make this on nights that he works late or is out of town. I find this meal so satisfying and tasty on a cold evening, and leftovers are fantastic. I usually eat this with a loaf of French bread, some goat cheese and a glass or two of red wine.

1/2 Yellow onion, diced

1 Carrot, peeled and diced

3 Cloves garlic, minced

2# Mushrooms (I like using a mixture of whatever looks good at the store)

2tsp Dried herbs (I love thyme, but rosemary,oregano or sage are great too)

1/3C Red wine

1 1/2C Chicken broth

2 Handfuls braising green (Swiss chard, kale, collards etc)

1 Lemon, zested

In a large pan saute the onions and carrots in a little oil and butter. When the onions are translucent add the garlic and herbs cook for 2 minutes.Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the onion mixture into a bowl. In the same pan add a little oil and 1/3 of the mushrooms. When  the mushrooms are golden brown on at least one side, spoon them into the bowl with the onions. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms. When all of the mushrooms have been browned, add all the vegetables back into the original saute pan, and place the pan over low heat, add the wine and scrape up and browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth and the greens, simmer until the vegetables are cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add the lemon zest just before eating.

Marinara with Bacon, Artichokes and Greens

In these cold, dark days I’m trying to do everything I can to stay healthy and happy. So I’ve come up with this quick and easy sauce that I think does just that. I’ve heard that artichokes are great immune builders, so Ive included them to prevent colds and flus. Vitamin D is an essential part of a winter diet to help keep your spirits up. And that’s also why I added the bacon; bacon =happiness.

3 Slices applewood smoked bacon

1 Small onion, diced

2 Cloves garlic, minced

1tsp Herb (rosemary, thyme or oregano)

1 Jar marinara

1 C canned/jarred artichoke hearts, quartered

2C Greens (kale, collards etc) cleaned and chopped

Brown the bacon in a large pot, remove when crisp and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and herb, saute for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the greens are soft. Chop the crisped bacon and add to the sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta or polenta.

Red Wine Poached Pears with Egg Nog

I had an epiphany last week, while trying to persuade a non egg nog loving co-worker to give it a try. She was convinced that it was made with raw eggs, so I started to explain how I’ve made it in the past. And that’s when I realized that egg nog is basically creme anglaise, a classic vanilla sauce served with desserts! So I looked around my kitchen for ingredients and came up with this recipe.

This dessert can be served hot or room temp, if you serve it hot it’s important to use low fat egg nog. I tried using regular nog on hot pears and it curdled; tasted great but it didn’t look pretty.

 

 

4 Pears, peeled, halved and cored

1 1/2 C Red wine*

1/2 C Water

1/3 C Brown sugar

1/4C Dried cherries

1/4inch Piece of ginger, peeled

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Vanilla

Light egg nog

Bring wine, water, brown sugar, dried cherries, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla to a boil in a medium non reactive pan. Add the pears and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the pears are soft, turning the fruit over occasionally; about 30-45 minutes. Remove the pears from the poaching liquid, and set aside. Simmer the poaching liquid until it  becomes syrupy, about 15 minutes or so. Add the pears back to the syrup to reheat the fruit. Place 2 halves of a pear in a glass, spoon in some of the syrup and drizzle some eggnog over the top.

You can poach the pears 2 days in advance. Any remaining syrup tastes great on ice cream or yogurt!

 

*Instead of wine you could use a non-sweetened red juice, like cranberry or pomegranate-cherry.

Brussel Sprouts with Pecans and Golden Raisins

This is my new favorite way of cooking Brussel sprouts. The raisins add a subtle sweetness and the nuts add a lovely texture. My other favorite way is halving and roasting the sprouts in a hot oven until they are almost burnt. This way is much quicker.

1/2# Brussel sprouts, thinly sliced

1Tablespoon Butter

3Tablespoons Golden raisins

2Tablespoons toasted Pecans, chopped

Soak the raisins in hot water for a few minutes. Melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the Brussel sprouts, a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until they are soft and bright green. Drain the raisins and add them and the pecans to the pan. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve.

Pumpkin French Toast

I whisked in 1/4C of my pumpkin butter into a standard french toast batter (a couple of eggs, a little milk, a bit of sugar, dash of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla). I sliced the bread about 2 inches thick and let them soak for about 30 minutes. Browned both sides of the toast in a lightly greased pan and then placed the pan in a 350 degree oven so they would cook through. They tasted fantastic and the house smelled like pumpkin!

Steel-cut Oatmeal with Dried Fruit and Cream

Few things beat warm steel-cut oatmeal on a cold morning. Not only is it hearty, filling and delicious, it’s also healthy. Normally I don’t have time in the morning to wait 30-45 minutes for oatmeal to cook, but with this recipe I can wake up and breakfast is warm and waiting for me.

This recipe makes quite a bit, but it keeps wonderfully in the fridge for about a week. Trader Joe’s sells cooked steel-cut oats that are frozen in individual portions; I haven’t tried it but I bet that would work with this recipe too. If you try it let me know how it turns out!

1 1/2C Steel cut oats
6C water
3/4C Half and half
3T Brown sugar
1C Dried fruit (I like using a mixture of dried cranberries and golden raisins)
1tsp Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp salt
Butter for greasing the crock

Butter the container for the slow cooker. Add all of the ingredients and give a gentle stir. Turn the slow cooker on to warm, cover and cook overnight.

If your slow-cooker doesn’t have a warm setting you might want to place a clean tuna can under the crock so it is above the heating element and set it tocook at low.

Butternut Squash Soup with Spicy Pepitas

An easy  fall soup that can be made with just about any winter squash you can find. The entire soup can be made in under an hour, or even faster if you use frozen squash.

3 Shallots, diced
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Butternut squash*; peeled, cored and diced
½ teaspoon Cumin
3-4 Cups Chicken stock

¾ Cup pumpkin seeds
3 Tablespoons Powdered sugar
½ teaspoon Cumin
½ teaspoon Cayenne

1 Lime

In a large pot sweat the shallots in butter. Add the diced squash, cumin and 3 Cups of chicken stock, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. While the soup is simmering prepare the pumpkin seeds. Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat; add the seeds, cumin, sugar, cayenne and a pinch of salt. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Pour onto a plate to cool. When the squash is soft puree and adjust consistency with chicken stock if needed, and taste for seasoning.  Serve the soup with a few pepitas and a little lime zest.

*You could substitute frozen pureed squash, about 2#, for a super fast meal!

Pumpkin Butter

This is an easy recipe that tastes fantastic and makes your house smell like you have a pumpkin pie in the oven. I love this on toast, graham crackers, apples or pears and I bet it would taste good with a little Gorgonzola on a cracker.

2 Cans pumpkin puree

3/4C Brown sugar (if you like it sweeter add an extra 1/4C)

2 T Honey

1tsp Cinnamon

1tsp Vanilla extract

1/2tsp Nutmeg

1/2tsp Freshly grated ginger

1/2tsp Ground ginger

A little orange zest

Pinch salt

Stir all the ingredients together in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours, stirring about every  30 minutes. You could also cook this on low for about 6 hours stirring less frequently. Eat warm or cold.

Pineapple Salsa

This Sunday I’m heading out to Hawaii for a week! I’m having a hard time concentrating on anything but tropical vacationy things. Which is what got me thinking about this recipe.

I prefer to let this sit for at least an hour before I serve it; that way the salsa gets a little juicier and the flavors get to macerate a bit. I love to serve this with grilled chicken breast or pork loins that have been brushed with BBQ sauce.

1/2 Fresh pineapple, diced
1/4 Red onion, finely diced
1 Lime, juiced
1 Jalapeno, diced
1/4 tsp Cumin
3 T cilantro, chopped

Stir all together and adjust seasoning with salt.