Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta & Apple Chicken Sausage

Need a delicious side for Thanksgiving? This is packed with fresh flavors, colorful & pretty good for you!

My mom-in-law came home with a farm-fresh branch/bushel(?) of Brussels Sprouts & shared them with me. I was so excited- they were gorgeous! Those bright green little leaves! If you are not a fan of the little cabbage family veg, this may make you one.

Happy Thanksgiving
<3 Lishie

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta & Apple Chicken Sausage

• 2 TBSp olive oil
• 2 medium shallots, diced
• 4 oz pancetta, diced
• 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, cleaned & quartered
• 2 apple chicken sausage, cut into 2" pieces
• S & P, to taste

Heat the oil on medium-high & add the shallots. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Add the pancetta & cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. Add in the Brussels sprouts & allow to brown for 2 minutes (without stirring). Stir, all to brown for another couple of minutes. Add the Sausage & allow it to brown. In total, cook all about 15 minutes. Add S&P, to taste & serve.

Grilled Kabobs

I have been sick for the last few days (no fun!) but am thankful for my support system. My hubby has been handling dinner very well, even wrapping up the food I am unable to eat! One night, he made these. They were pretty darn good. Apparently, the produce guy said that the new potatoes were awesome on kabobs on the grill. Always listen when someone who normally doesn't talk, gets excited because they want to TELL you something good! And he did. <3 Lishie

• Fully cooked chicken sausage with apple (Johnsonville now has them!) cut into bite-sized pieces

• new potatoes, skins left on, cleaned & halved or quartered

• bell peppers, cut in nice, square pieces (similar-size to the sausage & potatoes)

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes (prevents scorching), then assemble.

Grill!!!!!!

Skillet Sausage Lasagna

I was so excited for this one! I really wish I was a better picture taker because boy do I stink! Sorry! But it was yummy just the same. This was smaller & easier than my usual lasagna & that is always a good thing. I made my homemade sauce BUT you can certainly use jarred. AND you can most certainly use no boil noodles. I think I would bake it longer with them though.

When we went on our shopping excursion this week, I meant to buy ground beef for this. But it was expensive & I saw the sweet Italian sausage was on sale for a great price. It looked great but it was not a brand I have had before. Lo & behold, it was tremendously salty. The salt permeated the entire dish. So be careful with ingredients! This is why on Top Chef, the chefs are expected to make their own sausage from scratch. Thank goodness little 'ol me is just a home cook, huh? ;) It tasted ok all the same...

Enjoy!
<3 Lishie

Skillet Lasagna

inspired by: Generation Y Foodie

• 1lb Italian sweet sausage, casings removed
• 1 box lasagna noodles 
• 6 cups pasta sauce, about
• 8 oz part skim ricotta cheese
• 1-2 cups mozzarella, shredded
• 4 tbsp grated parmesan, divided
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute sausage (casing having been removed) in olive oil on medium heat until browned. Drain cooked sausage & set aside.

Boil the lasagna strips until al dente then set aside to slightly cool (enough to be hand-held).


Lasagna Layering/Set-up:
Begin with a thin layer of sauce at the bottom of the skillet. I used my 10" cast iron skillet. Make sure it the skillet you use is oven-safe.


Line the lasagna noodles over the sauce layer. Tear the noodles to fit. It does not have to be perfect!

Layer 1/2 the sausage on top of the noodles. 

Sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella & some grated parmesan.


Layer with sauce.

Again, layer with the noodles. 

Layer last 1/2 of the sausage crumbles.

Sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella & some grated parmesan.

Layer with sauce.

Sprinkle remaining parmesan on the top

Dollop large spoonfuls of ricotta equally across the top of the lasagna

Cover with foil & bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil & bake until browned on top.

Serve sprinkled with parsley

Oh & Happy Presidents Day!!!

Recipe Swap! ~ a new take on Stuffed Peppers

Life has caught up to me this beginning of January, 2012. I go full speed ahead most of the time, but a few obstacles have been determined to sideline me. So that said, I apologize to Melissa at Delicious Meliscious. I am uncharacteristically late with this Recipe Swap entry & it has nothing to do with the challenge. Wow, what was the swap challenge you ask?! We were given one of our fellow cooking friend's Blogs & told to choose ANYTHING we wanted to make. Given Melissa's blog, this was difficult indeed. I really wanted to make her flourless chocolate cake (yummmm) & will but was delighted when simultaneously my hubby agreed to stuffed peppers & we found chorizo in a Manhattan market. Score! So I quickly placed Melissa's Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers on the menu. They were a welcome switch from our usual Italian stuffed peppers. They were also more work intensive & spicier so this won't be a regular for us but it was tasty! I skipped the rice part (due to a pantry mishap) & served bowtie pasta on the side. DeLish. Thank you, as always too to Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking for organizing the swap!

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

adapted from Delicious Meliscious

• 6 bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded  
• 1 pound chorizo sausage
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 1 carrot, minced 
• 1/2 cup chopped onion 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large skillet, cook chorizo until almost brown. Drain fat. Stir in celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, basil, rice, and water. Cover, and simmer until rice is cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, & mix in Mozzarella cheese.

Place peppers upright in a baking pan. Stuff each pepper with the chorizo mixture. Sprinkle extra cheese on top.

add the water to the bottom of the pan with extra chorizo stuffing.

Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes.

Recipe Swap~ One Pot Meal

So, this week's recipe swap is all about time-saving, good one pot meals! I gave in my Stovetop Stuffed Peppers & received this Chicken Gumbo recipe from Melissa (Carimeli)over at Delicious Meliscious. I was trepidatious because I can't really "do spice" with my ulcers & crohns disease but thought, well, I'll give it a go for my hubby & just not eat the spicy sausage. More problems occurred when I went grocery shopping & couldn't find andouille sausage. Well, that combined with the fact that my hubby does not like rotisserie chicken either just kept adding to my apprehension. I ended up using spicy chicken sausage & sauteing it, sliced, along with boneless chicken breast slices... taking them out of the pot, then following the recipe... a half-assed, fake gumbo but yummy one-pot meal, none-the-less ;) Follow the recipe for happiness, lol! Thanks, Melissa!

<3 Lishie

Half-Hour Chicken Gumbo 

Martha Stewart via Delicious Melisicous

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen, cut okra
• 8 ounces smoked (precooked) andouille sausage, sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin and bones removed, meat shredded

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium. Add flour, & cook, whisking constantly, until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bell peppers, onion, garlic, & oregano; season with S & P. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add 4 cups water; stir in okra and sausage. Bring to a boil. Stir in shredded chicken, & warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with S & P, to taste.

Vegetarian Breakfast Fajitas! Another fun swap!

So as I've mentioned before, a small group of "Nestie" bloggers are trading recipes each week with a theme. This week's theme? Vegetarian! I was ecstatic because I love having veggie from time to time, & as ANYONE in this known universe knows, my sister, who I love, is a Veg. So I look for filling, complete recipes to cook for her when she visits. And how lucky was I that I got another choice trade from my friend Lauren, over at Lauren's Kitchen?! Her pick, perfect for lunch or dinner, were these very delicious, Low-Cal Quesadillas. Those are so yummy! I happened to always have Morningstar Farm Sausage patties in my freezer because they taste amazing.  Even my hubby will eat them with breakfast. So I decided to make Veggie Breakfast Fajitas, perfect for breakfast or brunch. YUMMMMMMMM.

Thanks, Lauren for the wonderful recipe...

Veggie Breakfast Fajitas

• 1-2 TBSp canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp combined of oregano/garlic powder/salt
• 3 Morningstar Farm Sausage Patties, thawed in micro, chopped into pieces
• 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 TBSp chives 
• 2 large flour tortillas or wraps
• 1/4 cup lowfat plain yogurt, Optional
• Tomato & avocado slices, Optional

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs & seasoning. Add in the cheese & the chives.
Heat the canola oil in a non-stick skillet, on medium. Add the egg mixture in & cook till the eggs are scrambled, firm (to your liking).


In a separate, non-stick pan sprayed with cooking spray (I use canola), on medium-high, place one tortilla flat. Quickly add the cooked egg mixture to the tortilla & spread. Add teh avocado & tomato slices here. Then cover with the second tortilla. Flip it over for about 30 seconds.


Cut into triangular wedges & serve with the plain, vanilla yogurt topped with some chives.

Now do these LOOK vegetarian?! ;)

yum!

eggy/cheesy/fajita-goodness

*Lishie tips- Do not be afraid of "Vegetarian". Some recipes really, truly are delicious & you will not miss the meat! See below for more of my vegetarian recipes. ANYTHING (except meatloaf imo) made with ground beef can be substituted with  the ground-beef-style soy crumbles Lauren's recipe lists. I use it to make stuffed peppers/lasagna/bolognese, etc. for my little sister.

Also, do not ever be afraid to change around a recipe to adhere to your family's tastes!

BTW- I supplied my Portobello Parmesan. YUM!

Sausage & Peppers hit the spot!

What's quick, tasty & wonderful on a freezing cold Monday night? Chicken sausage & peppers... Chicken sausage, you say? These are not your ordinary, packaged, pre-cooked chicken sausage! Oh no, we go specially to the butcher (22nd Street Meat Market :) ) & get their freshly made Italian-seasoned (with fresh basil, oregano, parsley+) sweet chicken links, as well as the spicy for my hubby. These pack so much flavor, I don't have to add extra seasoning besides S&P!


This isn't really a "recipe", I mean I do it differently all of the time & add here & there spices or fresh parsley, etc. But... here goes: I heat some canola oil on medium high & brown the sausage links on both sides... Take them out of the pan & add in the sliced onions & peppers, S & P. I usually use two different types of pepper- whatever looks good. Today I used red bell peppers & sweet italian cubanelles (light green) which I love, love, love... remind me of an elderly Italian neighbor in Florida who use to hand me them from his garden (what's better than a neighborly gift of produce? Almost nothing.).  Stir the onions & peppers until cooked a bit, add a little chicken stock, stir some more, place the sausage links on top of the veg & cover. Stir occasionally & all is done when the sausages are steamed & the peppers & onions semi-soft.


My hubby loves his chicken sausage & peppers on potato rolls:

Gabriel & I love them sliced into "coins", minus the "skin" &, with the peppers & onions, topped onto rice:

Can you tell we really love peppers in this family?!


xo,
Lish