Sausage-Stuffed Peppers

Stay tuned for next week when I make stuffed peppers with lentils!

Ingredients:
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 c white rice, uncooked
1Original Field Roast Grain Meat Co. Italian Sausage
3/4 c tomato puree
Seasonings:
parsley
Italian seasoning
onion powder
garlic powder
black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F.
Cook rice. Meanwhile, crumble sausage and brown in a skillet. Add tomato puree and season to taste. Stir in rice.
Cut the top off the pepper and remove ribs and seeds. Cut in half lengthwise. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet and stuff with rice mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes, covered. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 253
Fat: 5g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 35g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 17g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 3.5

Sausage Hash with Apples and Sage

OMG this was DELICIOUS!! Original recipe here.
It's quite breakfast/brunch-y. Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:
1 T oil, divided (I use them fairly interchangeably at the moment... today it was canola.)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Field Roast Meat Co. Vegetarian Italian Sausage (3.25 oz)
4 oz potato, cut into 1/2" dice
2 oz apple, cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 T Woodstock Farms Organic Tomato Ketchup
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp rubbed sage
3/4 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil over medium heat. Crumble sausage, sprinkle with onion powder, and cook, stirring often, until browned. Meanwhile, dice potatoes and apples and toss with remaining oil. Transfer sausage mixture to a bowl and reserve.
2. Add potato mixture to empty skillet; cook, stirring only occasionally so they form a golden-brown crust, about 10 minutes. As potatoes cook, mix ketchup, mustard, dried sage and fresh parsley and1/2 T  water.
3. Return sausage to skillet; stir in ketchup mixture, then season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until hash has nicely browned, about 5 minutes longer.

Makes 1 serving.

Nutritional Information:
Note: Yes, you can reduce this by 120 calories and
14g of fat by using non-stick spray instead of oil.
Personally, I am not opposed to the good fats in oils.
Calories: 500
Fat: 24g
Saturated: 2g
Carbs: 42g
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 27.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4.5
Dave: 3.5

"Sausage" Comparison

Gimme Lean Sausage > Morningstar Farms Sausage Links

(Morningstar Farms is not vegan either.)

That is all.

Grilled Chicken Sausage Sub

Ingredients:
1 Italian-style chicken sausage link (I used Al Fresco brand)
1 hot dog bun or hoagie roll(I used Aunt Millie's Old World French Rolls)
1/2 slice onion, cut into rings
1 T Heinz 57 sauce
1 T French's honey dijon mustard
1 slice Kraft extra thin swiss cheese

Directions:
Warm bread in the microwave. Grill sausage and onion. Place cheese slice (in two halves) on the warm bread, and top with sausage, onions, sauce and mustard.
Makes 1 serving.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 477
Fat: 13g
Saturated: 5g
Carbs: 56g
Fiber: 2.5g
Protein: 27g

Rating:
Dave: 4

*The original recipe called for just bread, chicken sausage, and pizza sauce. Dave did not like it with the pizza sauce- he gave it a 2 (earlier this week). He made another one today and topped it this way. He liked it much better!!

Veggie Cavatini

This is based on a family recipe. I've made some changes to my grandma's cavatini!! Hopefully that's not a mortal sin... ;-) I used vegan "sausage" instead of real sausage, omitted pepperoni and cheese, and added extra veggies. Feel free to use whatever sounds good to you! I just chose from what I had on hand.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 c pasta (I used rotini, but use whatever shape you want!)
4 oz Gimme Lean Sausage
3 oz mushrooms
3 oz green pepper (1/2 of a green pepper)
3 oz zucchini (1/2 of a small zucchini)
2 oz artichoke hearts
1-1/2 c pasta sauce (I used Meijer Naturals Tomato Basil sauce, which was delicious!)
Season as you wish (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Cook pasta as directed.
Meanwhile, brown the sausage. Add the vegetables and saute, seasoning to taste.
Mix together the cooked pasta, sausage/veggie mixture, and pasta sauce.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 180
Fat: 2.5g
Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 9.5g

Spaghetti and No-Meat Balls

I got this recipe from Food Network. Here's how I made it tonight:

Ingredients:
Meatballs:
2 tsp EVOO
1/8 c finely diced red onion
Salt and pepper
1 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 svg (79g) Nasoya extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1 T egg beaters
1 T dry bread crumbs
Fresh chopped herbs, I used oregano and cilantro
1 T whole wheat flour

Tomato sauce (I used 1/2 c Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, put through the blender)
2 oz spaghetti, prepared

Directions:
In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm 1 tsp of EVOO. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have given off their juices and are lightly caramelized.

Transfer the vegetables to the work bowl of a food processor. Add the tofu, egg and another pinch of salt and pulse to combine. Add the bread crumbs and herbs and pulse to combine again. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Spread the flour on a plate. Form the tofu mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Lightly coat the balls in flour. (Mine made 6.)
In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the remaining 1 tsp EVOO. Add the balls and cook them until browned all over, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Add the tomato sauce to the pan and simmer until the balls are firm and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve over pasta. Makes 1 serving.

Nutritional Information: 

(No-Meat Balls only, not including sauce or pasta)

Calories: 240.2
Fat: 14g
Saturated: 1.9g
Polyunsaturated: 3.8g
Monounsaturated: 7.6g

Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 16.7g
Fiber: 3.1g
Sugar: 1g
Protein: 12.9g

Ratings:
Kristen: 3.5
Dave: 4 (I made him the same thing but instead of the no-meat balls I cut up and cooked a Jennie-O hot italian turkey sausage link to put in the sauce)

Portuguese Chourico and Kale Soup

THANK YOU RACHAEL RAY!! This is soooo good. (Original Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 T EVOO
3 medium red potatoes, diced
1 red onion, chunked
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped (recipe called for 1lb... after I stemmed it, I ended up with 5oz)
Salt and pepper to taste
16 oz can garbanzos (chick peas), drained and rinsed
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 lb hot italian turkey sausage, casing removed, split into small pieces
29 oz chicken broth

Directions:
 Heat oil in a deep pot over medium high heat. Add potatoes and onions, cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic and kale to the pot. Cover pot and wilt greens 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomatoes, sausage and broth to the pot and bring soup to a full boil. Reduce heat back to medium and cook 5-10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.
Makes about 10 cups.

Nutritional Information:
(Per 1 cup)
Calories: 175
Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Carbs: 21g
Protein: 11g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 4.5

Two Cheese Rotini Makeover

I gave my two cheese rotini a semi-makeover. There is more that I could have done, but this still makes it tons better (calorie-wise!) than the last time I made it. I used turkey sausage, less olive oil, and less mozzarella cheese. Oh, I also used a tiny bit less tomato sauce, and I used Hunt's in a can instead of Ragu in a jar. Not sure if that made a difference. Oh! And I also used whole grain pasta. My camera is at work, but you can look at the original picture in the link above. It doesn't look much different! :) Here is its makeover:

Ingredients:
 1 lb Hot Italian turkey sausage, sliced 1/2" thick (Jennie-O)
1 green pepper, chopped (208 g)
1 t EVOO
24 oz tomato sauce (Hunt's, No Salt Added)
15 oz Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
12 oz  Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Rotini, cooked and drained
1 c Low-Moisure, Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, shredded and divided

Directions:
In a skillet, cook sausage and green pepper in hot oil over medium high heat until browned; drain well. Add tomato sauce. Stir to combine.

Combine ricotta cheese, rotini, and 1/2 c mozzarella. Stir gently to blend. Spoon half of pasta mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. Top with half of sauce. Repeat layers. Cover. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes; uncover. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Continue baking for 5-10 min or until cheese is melted.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 372 (still too much for Holly, but better than 513)
Fat: 15g (from 25g)
Saturated Fat: 6g (from 10g)
Carbs: 43g (from 45g)
Protein: 23g (from 27g)
Fiber: 7.5g

Ratings:
Kristen:

Holly's Crockpot Gumbo

Ingredients:
2 c fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 link Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, Lean
2 oz boneless skinless chicken tenders
1.2 c shrimp, baby, precooked (recipe called for 1.5 c but I only had 1.2)
3/4 c canned diced tomatoes (Hunt's)
2 T jalapeno pepper (1 pepper)
1/2 diced bell pepper (90g)
 2 c frozen okra (Pict Sweet)
onion powder
cayenne pepper

Directions:
Cut the sausage and chicken into bite-sized pieces. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours.
Serve over rice.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information:
(Gumbo only, not including rice)
Calories: 127
Fat: 3g
Saturated Fat: .5g
Carbs: 8.5g
Protein: 17g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4.5
Dave: 3.5
Dave says it wasn't spicy enough... I agree, it could be spicier! But it's really good comfort food! I WILL make it spicier next time!

Two-Cheese Rotini

This is from a Precious Cheese recipe and WOAH does it need a low-cal makeover!!

Ingredients:
1 lb Sweet Italian sausage, sliced 1/2" thick
1 green pepper, chopped
1 T EVOO
1 jar of Ragu Traditional sauce (26 oz)
15 oz Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
12 oz Rotini, cooked and drained
1-1/2 c Low-Moisure, Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, shredded and divided

Directions:
In a skillet, cook sausage and green pepper in hot oil over medium high heat unti browned; drain well. Add spaghetti sauce. Stir to combine.

Combine ricotta cheese, rotini, and 1/2 c mozzarella. Stir gently to blend. Spoon half of pasta mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. Top with half of sauce. Repeat layers. Cover. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes; uncover. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Continue baking for 5-10 min or until cheese is melted.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 513
Fat: 25g
Saturated Fat: 10g
Carbs: 45g
Protein: 27g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4.5
Dave: 3.5