Chicken Sausage & Sweet Peppers with Penne

I love everything about this dinner. It was warm and filling with loads of flavor. This mozzarella and garlic chicken sausage I buy at Sam's Club is a great way to change up the dinner menu. It has a lot of flavor with out all of the fat and calories of beef or pork sausage. It is perfect grilled, but with at least a few feet of snow still on the ground here, I will be cooking these inside for a while.

These mini sweet peppers are helping me get through winter right now. They are so bright in color and full of sweetness in contrast to the bitter cold and grey weather outside. I love eating these peppers raw- they made a snack for me at work.

The pasta I used in this dish is not your ordinary pasta. For the past year I have been primarily using Dreamfields Pasta. It is a local pasta, coming from Carrington, ND, but to me the best part is that it does not raise blood sugar as high as normal pasta. This pasta has 5g of fiber and because of the way it is processed it digests further down in your intestines, not affecting blood sugar as much. I probably recommend this product to at least 3 or more patients per day I like it so much. It tastes great and you don't have to feel bad about eating your fill. Of course it still has calories, but it is going to keep you full longer because of the fiber and digestion process. Next week I will be serving some Dreamfields pasta to members of the North Dakota Legislature while we promote services that Registered Dietitians provide in our state.

The last reason I love this dish- I used some tomato sauce that I made with my garden tomatoes and had frozen. Enjoy!

Chicken Sausage & Sweet Peppers with Penne
Serves 4

5 pre-cooked chicken sausages, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
12 mini sweet pepper or 3 large bell peppers, cut into bite sized pieces
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
splash of white wine
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
16 oz tomato sauce
handful basil leaves
6-8 oz penne pasta (I recommend Dreamfields)
1/4 cup half and half
grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente and drain. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
2. Heat a large pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add peppers and garlic. Cook for several minutes until they start to brown.
3. Add chicken sausage to pan and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add splash of wine to pan and allow to cook down for 1-2 minutes
4. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil to pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and allow liquid to cook down for about 5 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and half and half and stir to combine.
5. Add pasta to chicken sausage mixture and cook for about 2 minutes more. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Pico and Guacamole

Tomatoes have arrived. For weeks I have been watching and waiting for my tomatoes to begin turning from green to red. I've been picking a few cherry tomatoes here and there the past few weeks, but this week it was kind of an avalanche of tomatoes! I have cherry, roma, and beef steak tomatoes- more than we could possibly eat I think, but it sure is exciting to pick them right from the back yard! Note for next year, probably only one or two cherry tomato plants is needed-not six! I can literally pick them by the dozens right now.

Operation tomato preservation is now in action so that none of these delicious fruits go to waste. I  took several roma tomatoes, cut an "x" in the bottom of them and boiled them for about 1 minute. The skin easily pulled off and into the freezer those tomatoes went. They will be great to use for sauce this fall. Yesterday I dried cherry tomatoes (See Pinch My Salt for recipe) and I am excited to use them in a pasta dish, for bruchetta, or maybe in homemade hummus?

 

 This weekend I made pico de gallo since that has become a Russell favorite. When we were in Mexico for our honeymoon, every afternoon we would have nachos with pico and guacamole (see photo below). I don't know if it was because we were eating nachos on a beautiful beach with the hot sun shining down on us and the waves crashing on the sand, but those nachos tasted seriously amazing! The pico had a strong lime flavor, the guac was creamy and not too garlicy, and the cheese was running and delicious! I have been trying to recreate the experience ever since and I think I am getting close (minus the beach, water and sand).

For more information about tomatoes plus recipes, check out Away to Garden. There is a great post all about tomatoes plus links to a lot of different tomato recipes.

Russell Pico de Gallo
(The trick to this is making it to your taste. You may like a stronger onion flavor or less lime. I kind of throw everything together, so these measurements are not meant to be followed exactly. Make it to your taste, try it with a chip and then modify it until it is to your liking)

2-4 Roma tomatoes,diced

1/4 of an onion, chopped finely
1/4 of a jalapeno, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
course salt

You can either chop all of the vegetables or put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic into a food processor so they are chopped finely and they don't cause you any tears! Add to the tomatoes and toss with the cilantro, salt to taste, and the lime juice. Serve immediately, or allow to sit for several hours in the refrigerator so the flavors come together. Enjoy!

Laura's Guacamole

2 avocados, skins and pit removed
1/4 of an onion, chopped,
1/2 of a jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and ribs removed
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
course salt and pepper
1 Roma tomato, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (optional)

Add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno to the avocado, mashing with a fork until combined. Add cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add tomatoes and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese for even more flavor.

 This was all that was left after our recent feast!

Carmelized Onion Bruschetta Burgers-Delish!

 I don't know if you have been keeping up with some of the discussion regarding our food supply in the US, but I disturbs me and makes my brain hurt a little because I am really not sure what to do with the information. If you have not been keeping up, then I highly recommend The Omnivore's Dilemma as a good book, King Corn or Food, Inc as excellent documentaries. The basic problem is that corn has become a huge genetic engineering industry. Most of the corn produced in the US is actually not even safe for human consumption. Instead it is produced as feed for animals. Great idea except that cattle in particular were not meant to eat corn. Their digestive systems work best with grass. Corn, however, is cheap and fattens the cattle quickly. Cattle are able to be slaughtered months or even years earlier on a corn diet versus a grass diet. Because corn is not good for cattle, they become sick and then require antibiotics. Basically, our beef  is a result of a strange corn product, fat and antibiotics. Yum, yum. And we wonder why there are so many more chronic health problems and more antibiotic related disorders and immunity in the US? Read the book or watch the films for more information.

 I struggle with what to do with this information. Do I quit eating beef? Do I spend more money and time to find grass fed beef? What about poultry? (there are problems with this too). What about genetically engineered corn and how it is literally a part of almost everything food product??? Dilemmas. Well I know that I can not stop eating food, so I might just need to make some substitutions or sacrifices. Until I figure it out, I am continuing to eat all types of meat, but trying to choose better products when possible (Just Bare Chicken is one example). Meat is an important source of protein and is a valuable source of iron and B12 in our diets.  It helps keep you full in between meals, helps repair muscle damage and is important for the immune system in the body. 

Many people have switched to turkey in recent years due to presumed health reasons. We assume turkey must be healthier than beef since beef has a lot of saturated fat and turkey is a leaner meat, right? Well, 95% lean ground beef has 155 calories and 6g of fat in 4 ounces and 93% lean ground turkey has 150 calories and 8g of fat in 4 ounces. Not much difference. Lean beef can actually be quite good for you (aside from the problems previously presented). I personally happen to really enjoy ground turkey and use it regularly. I love turkey burgers and actually prefer them to beef burgers any day. The key to a good turkey burger is the seasoning. Turkey has a mild flavor and so you have to season it well to have a good end product.

Last weekend we made turkey burgers and I experimented with my toppings. Aaron had a strip of bacon, provolone cheese and tomato on his, while I tried caramelized onions with Gorgonzola cheese and a basil-tomato topping. (I didn't want to subject Aaron to my experiment until I tried it first!)  I loved my burger and I think you will too. There are so many flavors- the seasoned poultry along with a little sweetness from the onions and tomatoes plus the spicy bite of the basil and the saltiness of the cheese- they all compliment each other perfectly. I seasoned the ground turkey with smoked paprika, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and poultry grill seasoning, but I honestly do not use the same spices each time. I have been known to put in cayenne pepper, rosemary, oregano, basil, etc. So add the flavors that you like and then experiment a little. You could also use a milder cheese on the burger like provolone or mozzarella if you do not like aged cheeses.  Please share your favorite combination! Enjoy!

Turkey Burgers

1 pound 93% lean ground turkey or beef

McCormick chicken grill seasoning

Smoked paprika

Salt

Pepper

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4-1/2 onion, finely diced

Place turkey in large bowl and add seasonings.  Mix seasonings into meat by hand and then divide meat mixture into 4 burger patties. Grill until preferred doneness, usually 5-6 minutes  per side on a grill or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. 

Caramelized Onions

1 medium onion, cut into rings

1 tsp sugar

Salt

Pepper

olive oil
Heat large skillet on medium heat with enough olive oil to cover the bottom.  Add onions, sugar, salt and pepper. Saute until starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Turn heat down to medium low and continue to cook slowly, about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally until onions are browned and sticky. Remove from heat.

Bruschetta Toppings

1 medium tomato, diced

Handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt

Pepper
Combine all ingredients and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. 

Gorgonzola cheese

4 Buns, slightly chared


Place burger patty on bun, top with onions, Gorgonzolla cheese and bruchetta topping to taste.  Makes 4 burgers

Lovin' Veggies

If there is one lesson about food that I have learned since becoming a dietitian, it is to love vegetables. I wouldn't say that I hated vegetables before, but I really didn't realize the value they had in a healthy, balanced diet. I was very fortunate to grow up in a household where we had family dinner 6 out of 7 nights per week. My mom cooked very balanced meals complete with a meat of some sort, rice or pasta, cooked vegetable and often a salad. Our table was always covered with a plethora of food. I still love going home today, knowing there is never a lack of food to eat!When I first started cooking in college, I started with simple meals like beef stroganoff, spaghetti, sloppy joes, and our (my roommate and I) weekly staple, chicken stir-fry. Vegetables were not always included. When I graduated from college and started working at my first job, I had more time to cook and the more I talked about food all day with my patients, the more interested I became in it. I work a lot with weight management, so I am constantly preaching about portion control. I myself have a big appetite and I love to eat. I am not full with 3oz of meat, 1/2 cup of pasta and 1/2 cup of vegetables (a "portion controlled" meal). I hate telling my patients to do something I myself can't or won't do, so knowing the calories of food and realizing that vegetables give the most bang for a buck, I started to fill up on vegetables. I became a huge fan of mini sweet peppers, snap peas, cucumbers, baby carrots, zucchini, and all types of salads. Soon, I was feeling more healthy, had more energy and the 20-30 pounds I had gained in college slipped away (I was also exercising most days of the week, something I hadn't been doing as much in college). So one of the biggest tips I now tell patients is to eat vegetables. They are amazingly low in calories and fill you up, not to mention the vitamins, antioxidants and fiber they provide. You really can't go wrong with eating vegetables- I think we all need a food group we can really binge on and vegetables are it!
I wouldn't call myself a picky eater, but broccoli has never been one of my favorites. I don't like it raw and it seems to get mushy very quickly when you steam or boil it. I had a patient tell me that they liked to roast vegetables, so I have been roasting sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and green beans for years, so why not broccoli? I tried it this year, and now I am addicted! I have been having roasted broccoli at least once a week for the past several months I love it so much! Roasting vegetables is quick and easy and it brings out a more nutty flavor that I really enjoy. Roasting gives the vegetables a nice, toasted color, and makes them almost caramelized but crunchy. If you haven't tried roasting your vegetables I strongly recommend it! I think any vegetable can be roasted, so try it with some of your vegetables that you usually steam or boil. You will be in for a delicious treat!Tonight, for a quick meal I made some talipia with roasted broccoli. The best part is that it can all go on the same pan, at the same temperature for the same amount of cooking time. It is truly a 2o minute meal! Usually I make roasted vegetables with just some salt, pepper, and olive oil, but I dressed it up a little tonight. Enjoy!

2 talipia or cod steaks
2 cups of broccoli florets
1 tomato, roughly chopped or 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes
handful of basil, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
olive oil
salt
pepper
dried parsley
cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the talapia on one half of the sheet. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, parsley, and cayenne pepper. Place the broccoli, tomatoes, basil and garlic in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Place broccoli mixture on other half of the baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Broccoli should be browned and fish should be golden.