Sausage Escarole and White Beans

I love to make this on a cold night. It’s warm and satisfying and disgustingly easy to make. Too substantial to be called a “soup” but not quite a stew.

If spice isn’t your thing, use sweet Italian sausage. But make sure whichever sausage you buy, it’s packed with flavor. It’s the main seasoning in the recipe.

Sausage, Escarole and White Beans

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium white or sweet onion
• 1 pound Hot Italian Sausage
• 2 large heads of escarole
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cans white beans (14 oz each)

Directions

1. Mince the garlic and slice the onion
2. In a large stock pot, saute onion and garlic in a smidge of oil. Cook until the onions are translucent.  I go with medium to high heat here.  Play it by ear.
3. Meanwhile, clean the escarole and give it a rough chop. I like to leave it in big pieces. There will be a LOT.  Never fear, it’ll cook down.
4. Add sausage to the stock pot.  If you bought links, remove it from the casings.. if you bought loose, well, just crumble it up. We’re looking for chunks.  Cook until sausage is done.
5. Add about 1/2 of the escarole (because chances are, that’s all that’s gonna fit) and pour one cup of the chicken stock on top.
6. Cook, stirring occasionally on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the first batch of escarole is kind of wilted.
7. Add the second batch of escarole, the last cup of stock and the beans (strain and rinse first) on top. The beans will help weigh the greens down.
8. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.. give it a stir once in a while to help the escarole wilt evenly.

Serve with parmesan cheese.

This recipe is adapted from a random recipe I found in the newspaper.  It used frozen onions and jarred garlic. I say nay.. that’s just silly. I’m all good for convenience foods, but onions and garlic?  Nah.

The original recipe also did not have chickpeas or spinach. It was served over couscous but since I don’t like whole wheat couscous, we just got rid of it all together

Middle Eastern Shrimp

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (14 oz) can chickpeas, drained
• salt to taste
• 1 pound fresh or frozen spinach

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in your giant skillet, wok like thingy or saucepan
2. Add the onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until translucent
3. Stir in the cumin, allspice, black pepper, salt and cayenne and cook for about 20 seconds. (you are going to want to step back a bit.. seriously)
4. Add the cans of stewed tomatoes with their juices and the balsamic vinegar.  Stir together and heat to boiling. Give is a stir once in a while and break up some of those tomato chunks with your spoon.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
6. Stir in the chick peas and shrimp. Bring heat up to medium, cover and cook for about 5 minutes (shrimp might still be a bit raw)
7. Add the spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until shrimp are cooked and the spinach is wilted (or heated through if you are using frozen spinach)

This recipe for Texas Caviar was shared by Brie  in the South Beach Diet group on Ravelry. Since not everyone can get on Ravelry, I posted the recipe here with Brie’s permission.

This is Brie’s original recipe. I will confess to making this with two 15 ounce cans of black eyed peas.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black eyed peas
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup corn oil or olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup diced sweet onion (Vidalia, Texas 1015)
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly cracked if you can)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (I like more)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Directions

1. Combine the peas, stock and bay leaf in a large saucepan, and bring them to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the peas until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add more hot water to the peas if they begin to seem dry. Stir only occasionally and avoid mashing the peas.  When soft but not mushy, drain the peas.
3. Transfer the peas to a large bowl and toss gently with the remaining ingredients.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.

Serve the peas as a salad or, if you wish, as an appetizer with tortilla chips for scoops.

We got tons of chard with our farm share this year.  We really didn’t know what to do with it.  We came up with this yummy and quick way to use up that chard.

You can substitute any braising green but chard is my favorite! For more substance to this for an entree, pump up the protein with some white kidney beans.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork loin chops
• 1 large bunch of rainbow chard
• 1 medium onion
• 4 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and set aside
2. Clean the chard.  Slice the ribs/stems into thin slices.  Cut the green leaves into ribbons.
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan and let it get nice and hot
4. Salt and pepper both sides of the pork loin chops.  Sear on both sides until golden brown.  These will be cooked again so not a big deal if they aren’t cooked through.
5. Remove pork from pan.
6. Turn down the heat and add the onion.  You may need to add more olive oil.
7. Cook for a minute and then add the garlic.
8. Cook until translucent.
9. Add the sliced chard stems and cook for two minutes
10. Add the chops back into the pan
11. Toss the greens on top of the pork.
12. Pour balsamic vinegar over the top and sprinkle in red pepper flakes
13. Cover and cook stirring occassionally  until greens are tender and pork is cooked through.  You may want to add more balsamic vinegar or red pepper to taste.

I like to take the pork back out and cut it up into small cubes, but that is just me.  Adjust your seasonings as you like.

Leftovers for lunch!

I adapted this recipe from the Food Network Kitchen to create a healthier “healthy muffin”. Mine has 100% whole wheat flour, no processed sugar and a smidge less fat.

Mmmm... Muffins

Makes 12.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 medium carrots, grated
• 8 ounce canned crushed pineapple with juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners
2. Whisk together the flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, beat eggs slightly.
4. Beat in vegetable oil, honey, and vanilla.
5. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture.  Dump in carrots and pineapple and mix until just combined.
6. Let rest for 10 minutes. (I have no idea if you have to do this or not.  I did it because I know it helps lighten up my corn muffins before baking.  It kind of gives the baking powder a few minutes to start fizzing)
7. Full muffin cups. These don’t raise a lot so go ahead and full those cups up!
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once 1/2 way through.  Muffins are done when they spring back when touched or when a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!