Chipotle sausage stew
Another quick, easy, low-carb weeknight dinner. This is one of those meals thrown together from the largess of our pantry. You know how it is on those days when you’ve been too busy to think about what’s for dinner and then oooppps…it’s time to cook. When that happens I turn up the music, pour a glass of wine, and start pulling some of my back-up items. Sausages are always a good place to start and then how the sausage is seasoned will determine the direction I go in.
In this case it was a chicken chipotle sausage from Trader Joe’s. I’ve used canned black beans but ideally I would have cooked my own…but then it wouldn’t have been as quick. I’m not a big fan of bell peppers but Trader Joe’s sells these miniature sweet red peppers that I like to roast over the flame and then toss in. They have a nice flavor. I’ve written the recipe with canned Romas but I use the Romas I canned back in August and they have a firm, meaty texture. If you have fresh Romas that are good that would be great. The sausages were really spicy so I ended up not using much seasoning other than a dash of cumin. It turned out well, was very warming on a cold night, and cleaned up easy.
Vanessa’s Chipotle Sausage Stew
4 Chipotle Sausages, sliced into pieces
2 cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
Canned Roma Tomatoes, chunked
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
Chicken stock
4 miniature red peppers, roasted over the flame, peeled and chopped
cumin
salt / pepper
Saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil. Add the sausage and allow to brown, add the beans, tomatoes and peppers. Add the chicken stock until you have the consistency you want. Season with the cumin, salt, and pepper. Let it cook for 10-20 minutes on a simmer so the flavors can come together. Serve.
Pizza bake
The smell of baking pizza wafts through the house but wait…there’s no pizza in the oven, there’s a cheesy, crusty, delicious pizza bake. Think pizza… no crust. This recipe has huge flavor and is so easy, fast, and versatile it has the potential to be a weeknight favorite. If you want to go vegetarian you can eliminate the meat and substitute more mushrooms or perhaps roasted zucchinis. The secret is to reduce or eliminate as much water from the veggies as possible before building the bake. This time I used leftover rump roast but I think next time it’ll be Italian sausage.
Vanessa’s Pizza Bake
8 Cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 lb browned ground beef, Italian sausage, or leftover pot-roast
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese
5 or 6 canned Roma tomatoes, drained, chunked, drained again
Yellow onion, sliced thin
Sweet red peppers, roasted, and slice thin
Penzeys Pizza Seasoning
Sauté the mushrooms over medium heat in a splash of olive oil. Salt them after you add them to the hot pan and cook them long enough for most of the moisture to evaporate. Remove fromthe heat.
Lightly oil a oven-friendly baking dish. Layer the mushrooms on the bottom and then add the Parmesan cheese. Lightly sprinkle with Pizza Seasoning. Next layer on the meat of your choice. I used a leftover rump roast that was incredibly flavorful but also very lean. I braised it for Sunday dinner and it’s leanness made it too dry but it was the perfect leftover cut into small chunks in this dish and sprinkled with Pizza Seasoning. Add the tomatoes as the next layer. Sprinkle again with Pizza Seasoning and add the mozzarella. Finally add the onions and peppers and one last sprinkle of Pizza Seasoning. Bake this at 375 for 30 minutes or until the top is nicely browned.
A note about the measurements. I didn’t actually weigh any of these ingredients. These quantities are estimates are are for guidance purposes only.
Christmas in February - Blogging By Mail
What could be better than to receive a Christmas present in February. My blogging-by-mail buddy is Michelle at Fruits Basket and boy did she pour on the love. She sent me lots of good Uncle Sun spice mixes, mushrooms, and coffee, and sweets, and dog treats. Somehow she managed to cover absolutely everyone in our house and we are all so happy.
Lovejoy is scarfing down a dog treat that Michelle sent. Dexter found the pineapple tarts to be amazing, and I’ve staked my claim to the Coconut Soft Cake treat. I have plans to use the mushrooms and one of the chicken dish spice packs for our Chinese New Year celebration on the 18th. Oh, and check out the preserved Nutmeg…Michelle says it has an astringent flavor…I can’t wait to try that.
Michelle is from Malaysia so this package had a long way to go. She included a fabulous, hand-written letter with details about the goodies she sent, a cookie recipe for CNY and some information about her life. From reading her blog I can tell she’s an awesome baker, loves shoes and perfumes, and other great stuff, and seems to be really busy.
Michelle, thank you so much for your generous gift. I’m incredibly happy to have it and even more so now when it is so cold out and there is nothing going on. The gifts are perfect…thank you. Also a huge thanks to Stephanie at Dispensing Happiness for organizing this event.
