1- lb. low-fat chicken sausage, Italian, hot or mild
1 lb. pasta, Cavatapi is shown, but any short noodle is fine.
2-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
4 cloves fresh garlic, or more if you like, finely chopped
1 T. olive or canola oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus 1/4 cup for the top (If you aren't watching calories and fat, use more cheese if you prefer.
1 T. fresh, chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste
In large pot boil salted water and cook pasta about one minute shy of being done. Drain and set aside. This can be cooking while the sauce cooks.
In large saute pan with high sides, add oil, onion, and sausage to pan and cook over medium heat until cooked through. Add red pepper, mushrooms and garlic to pan and cook about 2 minutes more until garlic is soft. Add broth, dried herbs, crushed red pepper and simmer over medium heat long enough for the flavors to infuse the broth and the sauce to reduce slightly and thicken. This will vary depending on altitude, but it should be flavorful enough in 8-10 minutes.
Add semi-cooked pasta to sauce and heat through until pasta is tender and ready to serve. Season with salt and pepper. Remove pasta from heat and toss with cheese and herbs. Serve topped with a sprinkle of additional cheese.
Steps for a Quick and Delish Stir Fry
Fresh or frozen veggies of choice. If using kohlrabi, peel the green skin off, leaving the white flesh to cook. Fresh ginger root or frozen ginger root (keep ginger in plastic in freezer to use when needed. Just peel the skin off 1/2 inch at a time and grate frozen ginger into dishes as needed. Adds amazing flavor!)
low-sodium chicken broth
low-sodium soy sauce
cracked red pepper
fresh garlic
onions - any kind
Wash and cut vegetables of choice to bite sized pieces. I used frozen brussels sprouts, fresh kohlrabi, onion, and red pepper.
Steam thawed brussels sprouts for about 2 minutes in a pot with a small amount of water, just to give them a head start cooking since they take the longest to cook. If frozen, steam a little longer. Remove from water.
Peel two or three cloves garlic. When cooking with whole garlic it adds flavor but can be removed easily from the dish if the taste is too strong.
Add 1 T. olive oil to large saute pan and add brussels sprouts, whole garlic and the rest of the veggies.
Grate about 1/2 tsp. of ginger onto the veggies and stir in.
Saute until the veggies over medium heat until they are crisp tender, stirring occasionally.
1 minute before serving add a splash of low-sodium chicken broth and a splash of soy sauce for flavor. I don't thicken my stir fry because I don't feel it's necessary to add the calories.
Serve over white or brown rice or couscous. Quick, healthful and delicious!
Pork and Apple Meatballs with Dijon and Beer Sauce
2 lbs. ground very lean pork - if you have a pork loin roast, trim the fat off, cut in chunks and pulse in the food processor to grind the meat..it's the leanest ground pork.
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 large Granny Smith or other cooking apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped or grated, about 1 cup.
1 T. olive oil2 slices wheat bread, crusts removed and cubed
4 T. no-sugar-added apple juice
1 egg
1/4 tsp. each sea salt and black pepper
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. Chinese Five Spice Powder- it's worth it to use this if you can, but you can substitute a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon and a tiny pinch of cloves if you don't have Five Spice. Visit Savory Spice Shops in Denver or order at http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/ for the best spice and herb blends.)
In large saute pan, heat the olive oil and add onions and apples. Cook about 2 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool a few minutes. While cooling, in small bowl, cover bread with apple juice and let set to absorb the juice. When absorbed, mush it up along with egg.
In large bowl, mix ground pork, seasonings and bread and egg mixture. Mix it up with clean hands until well blended and form into balls the size of a golf ball. If you're not a golfer, the size of a large walnut.
In large saute pan, heat 2 T. olive oil and add half of the meatballs to the pan. Leave room between them so they cook properly. Cook about 10 minutes on each side until browned, turning every 10 minutes for 30 minutes. When brown on each side, remove from pan and place on baking sheet, cover with foil, in 250 degree oven while you cook the other half. Cook second half of meatballs and add to baking sheet in oven while you prepare the sauce. Makes about 24 meatballs.
You can stop here if you want. The meatballs are delicious on their own and are a low-fat dinner combined with braised cabbage, but if you want to continue with the sauce, here is the recipe.
Apple Dijon Beer SauceTo meatball pan, add 1 T. butter and 1 finely chopped shallot. Cook for about 1 minute until shallot is softened. Add 1-1/2 cups apple juice and 3/4 cup beer and bring to boil. Add 1-1/2 T. Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste , bring to boil and let sauce reduce for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 T.butter and remove from heat. This is enough sauce for 1/2 the meatballs.
Swordfish With Mango Avocado Salsa
4 Swordish fillets, skin removed and rubbed with olive oil.
Sprinkle each filet with salt, pepper, onion powder and a little dried dill. Grill on gas grill or grill pan to desired doneness, depending on the thickness of the fillet. Some people like their fish rare, I prefer Swordfish just barely pink in the center.
Salsa: serves 4:
2 champage mangos, disassembled as described on home page. 1 large avocado, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced1/2 small red onion, diced
1 cup English cucumber, diced
juice from one lime
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 T. fresh chopped parsely or other fresh herb, like cilantro.
Toss lightly together in a medium bowl and let set for about 15 minutes before serving to let the onion get acquainted with the rest of the ingredients. This is also delish the next day if you have any left over.
Bison Picadillo
This makes a large amount, so for a family or 4 or 5, cut the recipe in half or freeze half for another night.
3 T. olive oil
1-1/4 cups finely chopped onion1-1/4 cups finely chopped green pepper
1 T. finely chopped fresh garlic
3 lbs. ground bison (or beef)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1-28 oz. can diced tomatoes - drained of half of the liquid - use half of the liquid in the recipe. 1 T. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon1 tsp. smoked Spanish sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup chopped green olives with pimento1/2 cup raisins
In large pot cook onions and green peppers in olive oil for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook until softened but not brown, about 1 minute. Add the ground meat to the pan and cook until no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the olives and raisins, and cook until meat is cooked through and tomato juice has reduced enough to make a nice sauce, 10 - 15 minutes on medium heat. Serve over cooked white or brown rice and with black beans if you want. White rice will take about 20 minutes to cook so you can be cooking them at the same time.
Herb Brined Chicken Roasted with Carrots and Potatoes
Mix brine ingredients in pot large enough to hold whole chicken, heat just to simmer, dissolving salt and sugar. Remove from heat and let brine cool to room temperature. 1/8 cup kosher sea salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 bay leaves
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Rinse one 3-4 pound roasting chicken and remove giblets from inside cavity. Let brine cool to room temperature and add whole chicken to pot. Return pot to refrigerator and let marinate for a minimum of one hour and maximum of two hours. Longer than two hours may make the chicken too salty as it will absorb salt and flavors from the brine.
When ready to roast, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from brine and rinse quickly in running water, which remove salt and spices from the outside. Rub outside of bird lightly with vegetable or olive oil to help it brown and place in 9x13 roasting pan. Roasting time will be about one and one half hours or until meat thermometer in thigh meat reads 180 degrees (juices will run clear when done). The chicken will take longer to roast than the vegetables so after the chicken has been in the oven for 30 minutes, put the pan with vegetables in the oven along with the chicken. Two 9x13 pans should fit in a standard oven. Stir the vegetables about 30 minutes into the roasting time, making sure they don't get too brown on one side. Remove all to platter and serve!
Apple and Barley Stuffed Delicata Squash
First step: The barley will need to be cooked before mixing with other ingredients. Prepare either regular or quick-cooking barley according to package directions. You will need 2 cups of cooked barley. Cooking regular barley can take an hour so allow for this time in your preparation.
Second step: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the squash by cutting in half and scooping out the seeds and stringy insides. Brush the cut side with just a bit of vegetable or olive oil and place on baking sheet with cut side down. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes until almost tender. This will vary by the density of the squash and your oven, so keep an eye on it.
Third step: While squash is pre-cooking, mix the following ingredients in 2 quart sauce pan over medium heat.
2 cups rough chopped, cored apple - leave skin on for color and fiber
1 tsp. canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup water or chicken stock
Cover and simmer above ingredients for about 10 minutes until apples are soft but not mushy. Remove from heat and add the following ingredients to apple mixture.
dash of salt and ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup grated mozzarella or other mild, grated soft cheese
2 cups cooked barley
Stuff the squash halves and return to baking sheet. Bake another 8 to 10 minutes until filling is heated through. Serve as a veggie meal or cut in half and serve as a side dish.
I don't use red meat in very many of my recipes for a lot of reasons, but this recipe uses lean, grass fed, ground beef that goes well stuffed in this Acorn squash. Have fun and adjust the flavor of the stuffing to your taste. These ingredients are a guideline of flavors, but make it yours with your own creativity. Serves 4.
2 medium to large Acorn Squash
1 lb. lean ground beef
1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1 cube beef bouillon, dissolved in 1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, not the oil-packed kind.
1/3 cup dried currants or raisins
1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 to 2 T. tomato paste. Start with one and add more if filling is too crumbly.
Salt and pepper to taste(shouldn't need more salt with the bouillon cube)
Prepare brown and wild rices according to package directions. They can be cooked together to save time. You will need two cups total of cooked brown and wild rice. I cooked one cup brown rice with 1/4 cup wild rice and had some left over for another day.
Prepare squash by cutting in half lengthwise and scraping out seeds and strings. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil the cut side of the squash with olive oil and bake cut side down on baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes until tender but not completely done.
Brown ground beef with chopped onion in skillet and season with salt and lemon pepper to taste. When cooked through, turn heat to low and add the cooked rices and rest of the ingredients, combining all. Taste the filling and adjust flavors by adding more curry if you want, since curries vary a lot. If the filling is too dry, add a bit more beef broth.
Stuff partially baked squash with filling and return to oven to heat through and brown a bit on top, about 10-15 minutes.
