Black Eyed Peas and Rice with Andouille Sausage

I guess you could consider this a fancy version of Hoppin’ John. After living in Louisiana for six years I have a huge place in my heart for southern cooking. I stumbled upon this recipe as I was cleaning out a section of “the binder” and I had to try it. I’m happy I did, it’s very yummy. I was able to whip this up rather quickly while making silly faces at little one.

I did not use boil-in-bag-rice. I think rice is overpriced when purchased this way. I buy rice in bulk and then use my rice cooker. That was the plan this time but husband ordered Chinese for dinner Saturday night so we had some white rice sitting in our fridge waiting to be used! Since I used different rice I did have to cook everything longer than four minutes. I will use more Cajun seasoning in the future – half a teaspoon just seems so little. I don’t think the hot sauce was necessary. The andouille that I buy has a nice bite to it already. In all honesty I couldn’t even taste the hot sauce.  As for my chunky tomato issue, I used petite diced tomatoes and it was perfect.

The recipe recommends corn bread as an accompaniment and I couldn’t agree more! I just wish I would have had some cornbread to go with it. I will plan this better in the future.

1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup prechopped onion

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

6 ounces chicken andouille sausage, sliced

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Place rice in an 8-inch square baking dish; cover with water. Microwave at HIGH 6 minutes; drain.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, minced garlic, and Cajun seasoning to pan, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in sausage, and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice, chicken broth, black-eyed peas, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 4 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in hot pepper sauce. Ladle about 1 1/4 cups mixture into each of 4 bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons green onions.

Cooking Light – January 2007

Sausage Cacciatore

I walked into this recipe very much afraid of the outcome. The two times I attempted to make chicken cacciatore have been a complete disaster. Also, I am not a fan of sweet Italian sausage. I am happy to report that this did not end up a disaster at all and I actually caught myself snitching some of the sausage before putting the leftovers away last night!

This dish was crazy easy to make. I kept thinking about how easy this would be to throw together if you have company coming but no time to prep a meal. It does take an hour to cook but the prep time is almost nothing. The amount of equipment I used to make this dish was also very minimal:

1.       Cutting board

2.       Knife

3.       Lasagna pan – the recipe called for a baking sheet but with 28oz of crushed tomatoes I think not.

4.       Liquid measuring cup – I have one that is for tablespoons!

5.       Garlic press – really not needed but I love to use it

6.       Garlic roller – REALLY not needed. This may be the one piece of equipment in my kitchen that is unnecessary but I can’t help loving pristine naked garlic. In all honesty, smashing the garlic with a knife would be much more practical.  

I used fingerling potatoes, not a good choice. Follow the recipe here and use baking potatoes. The fingerlings were still a little hard, even after an hour. But – there were a few purple fingerlings mixed in and I kept thinking how fun it would be to make purple mashed potatoes! I will have to investigate this further. I see no reason to peel the potatoes unless you have a picky eater. Potato peels are where all the nutrients are!

No surprise here but I used turkey sausage. The crushed tomatoes did not come already flavored with Italian herbs so I had to add my own, not a big deal at all. I did not add parsley at the end.

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 baking potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, quartered
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs
• 1/4 bunch, flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, toss the sausage, potatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook, tossing occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the sausage and vegetables and stir to coat. Arrange the mixture in an even layer and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Top with the parsley.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/dinner-for-10-dollars-or-less-recipes/Sausage-Cacciatore

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

I made two meals on Meatless Monday: Chicken Wild Rice Soup for husband and mac’ and cheese for me. I’ve used the mac’ and cheese recipe before but for some reason it just didn’t do it for me. I have several mac’ and cheese recipes so I will retire this one and post a better one in the future.

Husband is a huge fan of Chicken Wild Rice Soup. I’m not sure when the fanfare began, but if Chicken Wild Rice Soup is on a menu he’s more than likely going to order it. I found a low cal recipe years ago (I can no longer remember where I found it) that husband enjoys. Husband wasn’t feeling great on Monday so instead of making him eat vegetarian fare I decided he should have some hearty soup. He was so thrilled that he helped me out in the kitchen. He doesn’t normally help out with the cooking process since he’s upstairs working until dinner time most nights, so it was really fun to have his assistance. He’s a pretty good carrot chopper and a wonderful stir-er.

 

Husband chopping carrots

 

The mess of cooking two dinners at once



Chicken Wild Rice Soup

1 lb roasted chicken, shredded

1 onion, diced

1 cup carrots, chopped

5 cups chicken broth

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp ground thyme

1 cup wild rice

1 egg

¼ cup flour

12 oz nonfat evaporated milk

Put the first 8 ingredients into a large pot and cook until vegetables and rice are tender. Take out a small portion of the broth and add to the egg to temper, whisk together with flour. Mix into the soup. Add evaporated milk. Let simmer for 20 minutes and serve.

*If the soup seems a little too thick, I add extra milk.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce

This is the second time I’ve made this meal and honestly the first time was a bit better. The breading on the chicken didn’t stick this time – my guess is that it’s because I had to use shaved parmesan (that’s what was in the fridge) instead of Kraft parmesan. Because the breading did not stick to the chicken it all ended up in the sauce. Not bad, but not what it was supposed to be.

I also didn’t have instant brown rice. I usually do not have instant rice in my house unless a recipe calls for it as a main ingredient. I would have made regular brown rice in my rice cooker, but brown rice takes a while to cook and I was VERY HUNGRY. Instead I whipped up some mashed potatoes since I had a few potatoes that needed to be eaten. There was some leftover sauce from a Greek restaurant in the fridge so I used that for the mashed potatoes – YUM!

I am not a fan of asparagus but I cooked it anyway. Husband likes it and I want little one to like it as well. It was very pretty all bundled up in the store so I bought it. I ate a serving, hating every minute of it. I was proud of myself however for eating a green vegetable I normally wouldn’t have eaten.

Would I make this again – yes. It was easy, quick, not too expensive and husband really liked it.

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

14 oz. chicken broth, divided

6 RITZ Crackers, finely crushed

2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

2 tsp. oil

1/3 cup PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion

3/4 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed, steamed

Cook rice as directed on package, using 1-1/4 cups of the broth and 1/2 cup water.

Mix cracker crumbs and Parmesan on plate. Rinse chicken with cold water; gently shake off excess. Dip chicken in crumb mixture, turning to evenly coat both sides of each breast. Discard any remaining crumb mixture.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until done. Transfer chicken to a plate; cover to keep warm. Add remaining broth and reduced-fat cream cheese to skillet; bring just to boil, stirring constantly. Cook 3 min. or until thickened, stirring frequently; spoon over chicken. Serve with rice and asparagus.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/parmesan-crusted-chicken-in-cream-91371.aspx

Chicken Souvlaki - if love were a meal

I LOVE THIS MEAL. I get overjoyed when I make this for dinner. Husband is always in a good mood when he knows that this will be his dinner. I can't say enough good things about Chicken Souvlaki. If we had to make a top five favorite meal list this would easily be in it. Husband requests this quite a bit and we have served it to many of our friends. It can be messy, but it's one delicous mess!

I make a few adjustments to fit our family:
1. I don't mix the feta into the veggies mixture. Not everyone is as big of a feta fan as I am and I'm not really into raw tomatoes or onions.
2. I cook the chicken in the vinaigrette mixure and drain the chicken after it's cooked. This reduces the olive oil needed by 1 T. and gives the chicken better flavor.
3. I use about 6 oz of Greek yogurt - we like the sauce in my house.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-souvlaki-10000001107169/index.html

4 pieces flat bread or pitas

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

3/4 cup crumbled Feta

1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 small cucumber, diced

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

1.     Heat oven to 200° F. Wrap the bread in foil and place in oven.

2.     In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, Feta, and olives.

3.     In a large bowl, combine the oregano, thyme, pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons of the vinegar, and the lemon juice. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of the oil, whisking constantly until incorporated.

4.     Pour 2 ½ tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the tomato mixture, toss, and set aside. Add the chicken to the remaining vinaigrette, toss, and set aside.

5.     Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the chicken (without the liquid) to the skillet and heat, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

6.     Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill, and the remaining vinegar. Spread the bread with the yogurt sauce and top with chicken and tomato salad. Fold in half, if desired.

Lentil and Black Bean Chili - an experiment

We try to do Meatless Monday at our house. I always try to schedule vegetarian meals into my bi-weekly menu planning sessions but I married a man who grew up convinced that every meal must contain meat. I have won a few meatless battles and we have established a few basic meals that are meatless and make it into our menus: Black beans and rice, lemon spaghetti, vegetable 'stoup', black bean burgers, fettuccine alfredo. Considering that I am not a good vegetable eater, the challenge of making Meatless Monday a healthy Monday can sometimes be daunting.

I whipped this creation up Sunday afternoon (chili is better if it has a day to rest) for husband and I to have for lunch on Monday. We did test it out on Sunday - the lentils needed extra time to tenderize but over all this was really good. The only change I would make is to puree the tomatoes before adding them to the mix. I just don't like chunky tomatoes.

1 1/2 cup dry lentils, French-variety, picked over for debris   

1 Tbsp olive oil   

1 large onion, diced   

1 large sweet red pepper, diced   

2 Tbsp minced garlic   

3 Tbsp chili powder   

2 tsp dried oregano   

1 1/2 tsp cumin seed   

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper   

1 tsp kosher salt   

29 oz canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted with chiles, undrained   

31 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained   

1/2 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped   

1.       Place lentils in a large sauce pan and cover with water by several inches; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are tender but retain a little bite, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain well and set aside.

2.       Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, pepper and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne and salt; and stir well to combine. Cook, stirring often, about 1 minute.

3.       Add tomatoes and their juice, and beans to skillet; stir well to combine. Cover skillet and simmer so flavors can blend, about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold in lentils and cilantro; serve.

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=171391

Salt and Pepper Shrimp With Thai Fried Rice

The shrimp can make this meal a little more on the expensive size for a weeknight, but I found a way to make it work. Shrimp in our area will go on sale every once in a while for about $5 a pound - I'll pick up a pound or two and put it in the freezer for future use. I'm not big on stocking up and keeping a large pantry but I will make a few exceptions. Another thing I stash in the freezer is rice. Our favorite Chinese restaurant in town always includes white rice with every order. We never eat the white rice so I always throw the container in the freezer just waiting for this meal! The frugal girl in me also saves the soy sauce packets from our Chinese take-out. Two packets = one tablespoon.

Ingredients

·         1 pound frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp

·         kosher salt and pepper

·         4 tablespoons olive oil

·         1 small onion, chopped

·         1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

·         4 cups frozen or day-old cooked rice

·         1/2 cup frozen peas

·         4 eggs, lightly beaten

·         1 teaspoon sesame oil

·         1 tablespoon soy sauce

·         1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 450° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the shrimp with ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast until bright pink and cooked through, 15 minutes.

2.      Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. 

3.      Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.

4.      Stir in the peas and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

5.      Make a space in the center of the rice and pour in the eggs, sesame oil, soy sauce, and scallions.

6.      Scramble the eggs until set, then stir them into the rice. Divide among bowls and serve with the shrimp.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/salt-pepper-shrimp-thai-fried-rice-10000001699573/index.html

Jerk Chicken with Rice, Black Beans and Pineapple

It will soon become apparent that I love beans. If I can find a recipe that includes beans, I am more than willing to give it a shot. When I first saw this recipe I wasn’t too sure about it but I am so happy that I tried it! This has become one of my go-to meals. My husband and I both love this dish, the ingredients aren’t expensive and it’s perfect for a night where there is a lot going on in our house. I don’t think I’ve made this for anyone other than my husband yet but I would be very comfortable sharing this dish with guests, at least the ones that would be willing to try beans and pineapple in the same dish. Once again - a recipe from Real Simple that hasn't let me down!

I hunted the grocery store forever trying to find jerk sauce. I had never used jerk sauce before so I wasn’t sure where to find. I found many different types of jerk marinades but never jerk sauce. Finally I went to World Market and found Pickapeppa. Naturally I can now find Pickapeppa in just about any grocery store I go to. This sauce has a good bite to it but not a lot of heat. A little really does go a long way and my little bottle lasted for a while.

1 cup white rice

¼ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup spiced rum

2 T. jerk sauce – Pickapeppa

1 T. fresh ginger, grated

4 - 6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 T. olive oil

15 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed

8 oz. pineapple, cut into 1 in. pieces

1 bunch scallions, sliced

Cook the rice according to the package directions.

Combine the vinegar, rum, jerk sauce, and ginger in a measuring cup or small bowl and set aside.

Pound the chicken to an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, about four minutes per side. Add the vinegar mixture.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about two minutes.

Stir the beans into the rice. In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple and scallions. Plate the chicken and serve the rice and pineapple mixtures with the chicken.

Adapted from www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/jerk-chicken-rice-black-beans-pineapple-10000001698833/index.html