Ingredient: Red Bell Pepper

Not Potato Salad

Not Potato Salad
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An en"light"ened side dish. The flavors of potato salad join steamed cauliflower for a healthier alternative. Use herbs, vinegar, and mustard that suit you.
Servings
6
Servings
6
Not Potato Salad
Print Recipe
An en"light"ened side dish. The flavors of potato salad join steamed cauliflower for a healthier alternative. Use herbs, vinegar, and mustard that suit you.
Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Steam the cauliflower in the mircowave or on the stove. It should be fairly tender but not mushy. Rinse under cold water and set aside to finish cooling.
  2. Combine the cauliflower, onion, red pepper, jicama, lemon zest, and herbs in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and agave nectar together. Add the fat free 1/2 & 1/2 and a pinch of salt and stir until smooth.
  4. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently to combine. Chop two of the eggs and gently fold into the salad. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
  5. Spoon into a serving bowl. Slice the remaining egg and lay on top of the salad. Sprinkle lightly with paprika if desired and garnish with a sprig of herb. Chill for at least 3 hours
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Stir Fried Quinoa with Chicken

Stir Fried Quinoa with Chicken
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The flavors of Asian Fried Rice, but made with Quinoa. All the flavor and many more nutrients.
Servings
3
Servings
3
Stir Fried Quinoa with Chicken
Print Recipe
The flavors of Asian Fried Rice, but made with Quinoa. All the flavor and many more nutrients.
Servings
3
Servings
3
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Bring the water to a boil. add the quinoa and cover. Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
  2. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the quinoa on the paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring half way through. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
  3. Heat a non-stick wok over medium heat. Coat the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Add the chicken pieces and 1/2 teaspoon of the Five Spice Powder. Toss and cook for 3 minutes. The chicken should be barely browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  4. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the hot wok. Turn pan to create a thin layer. Cook until light golden brown turning once. remove from pan and allow to cool. Cut into thin strips and set aside.
  5. Add the broccoli, peppers, broccoli to the wok. Add several tablespoons of the chicken broth. Toss and cook until the vegetables soften slightly. Add more broth as needed to prevent burning. Remove from pan and set aside.
  6. Add the canola oil an allow it to get hot. Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to the oil. Cook and stir until the ingredients are fragrant. 3 - 5 minutes.
  7. Add the quinoa to the pan and toss to mix all the ingredients together. Cook, tossing to allow the quinoa to brown. This should take 5 - 7 minutes. Add chicken broth a little at a time to keep everything from burning.
  8. Add the chicken and vegetables to the pan and toss. Continue cooking and tossing until everything is heated through.
  9. Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, and the remaining Five Spice Powder together in a small bowl. Add several tablespoons of chicken broth. Pour over the mixture in the pan and toss to mix.
  10. Serve topped with the egg strips and the sliced green onions.
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Whole Wheat Pasta with Sausage, Beans and Kale

DIGITAL CAMERAWe all love pasta. It’s versatile, quick to prepare and cheap. It’s also  “carb heavy” which makes it a bit of a double edged sword for many of us. As with everything in a healthy diet, moderation is the key here and if the choice of pasta can be a little healthier, I’m all for it. This recipe uses Whole Wheat Penne which contains more than twice the fiber of its white counterpart. This recipe also keeps the pasta to a minimum. A cup or so of dry pasta will feed two lavishly.DIGITAL CAMERA

Turkey Italian Sausage and Cannelini Beans provide a generous serving of protein that is lower in fat than many other choices. Kale, the current golden (or is it green) child of the food world makes itself known along with garlic onions and red bell pepper. The sauce is low sodium chicken broth base to keep it light and let the other flavors shine through. DIGITAL CAMERAAs with so many of the recipes I share, this one is open to interpretation. It would be wonderful with some herbs. Basil or rosemary come to mind. Garbanzo beans could fill in for the Cannellini and any other veggies you have on hand could be added as well. Doubling the recipe would be easy, too. In fact, this recipe as posted allows you to do just that

Whole Wheat Pasta with Sausage, Beans and Kale
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Servings
2
Servings
2
Whole Wheat Pasta with Sausage, Beans and Kale
Print Recipe
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta one minute less than the package directions, Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining. Prepare the sauce while the pasta cooks.
  2. Cook the sausages in the broiler completely. When cool enough to handle slice 1/2 inch thick and set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 3 - 4 minutes until softened. Add the kale and garlic and cook until the kale has wilted and the garlic is fragrant. This should take 4 - 5 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken broth and the sausage to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or so. Add the beans and the reserved pasta water. Cook another 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Toss and cook for a minute or two to blend everything together. Serve topped with shaved Romano Cheese
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Spinach and Artichoke Soup with Chicken Sausage

Spinach and Artichoke Soup with Chicken Sausage
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Spinach and Artichoke Soup with Chicken Sausage
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Stock Base
Soup
Servings:
Instructions
  1. For the Stock: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes or so. Add the stock to the pan and raise heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, Cover and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Using an immersion blender puree until smooth. Add the Italian herb blend stir and set aside.
  2. While the stock cooks, prepare the soup ingredients. Heat the olive oil in a medium fry pan. add the chicken in a single layer and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned on one side. Turn and brown other side. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
  3. Add the onions and red pepper to the drippings in the pan. Cook about 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and spinach to the pan and cook another 3 minutes or so. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. To Broil the Artichoke Heats: Pre-heat broiler.Spray a rimmed baking sheet with the non-stick spray. Lay the artichoke hearts on the tray making sure they are not touching. Spray lightly with the cooking spray and sprinkle with the Italian herb blend. Broil for 5 minutes. Turn the artichokes spray the other side lightly and sprinkle with a little more herb blend and broil another 5 minutes. Remove from broiler and allow to cool. Slice in half length-wise. Set Aside.
  5. Once all of the ingredients are prepared, return the pan of stock to the heat. Bring stock back up to temperature and add the onion spinach mixture, the sausage, and the artichoke hearts. simmer everything for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
  6. Serve with shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese.
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When Jambalaya Met Slumgullion

DIGITAL CAMERAWhat would happen if Andouille Sausage, Chicken, and spicy Blackening Seasoning joined the party in one pan that is called Slumgullion? That happened on the day  Jambalaya met Slumgullion and a mash-up made in heaven was born. (Click on the red words to see where the original recipes came from.)

I used Urban Accents Blackened Cajun Seasoning to add a taste of the Big Easy, but any Cajun, Creole, or Blackening seasoning that you like will do. Precooking the potatoes allows them to cook in the same time frame as the other vegetables. You can kick the heat up a notch or two with some Cayenne or Tabasco or tone down the spiciness…it’s all up to you.

 

 

 

When Jambalaya Met Slumgullion
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Servings
4
Servings
4
When Jambalaya Met Slumgullion
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.Season the chicken bits liberally with the Blackening Seasoning and add to the pan Cook and stir until light brown, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and add the sausage to the pan. Brown on both sides and remove to plate with the chicken.
  2. Put the potatoes in a covered microwave safe container. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and microwave for 6 minutes, stirring after the first 3 minutes.
  3. If the pan seems too dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Put the precooked potatoes in the pan and toss to coat with the oil and drippings. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 6 minutes or so, stirring frequently. At this point, the potatoes should be slightly soft.
  4. Remove the cover and raise the heat to medium. Add the onion and toss to combine. Cook 5 minutes until the onions begin to become translucent. Add the peppers and garlic. cook and stir 6-7 minutes. The pepper should be getting soft and the garlic should be fragrant.
  5. Put the chicken, sausage and any accumulated juices back into the pan. Toss to combine everything. Add about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Cook for 5-8 minutes adding a little more chicken stock if the mixture seems dry.
  6. Add a little more of the Blackening Seasoning to your taste and serve.
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