Month: July 2019

Chicken Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions

This is a quick and easy meal, perfect for a weeknight! Since the sausage is precooked, it only takes a few minutes to prepare.

You just need a package of prepared chicken sausage, some chopped onions, a jar of roasted red peppers, garlic, tomato paste, and a few spices. For this version, I used Nitrate-Free Tomato and Basil Chicken Sausage from Aldi, but you can use any Italian-style sausage that you prefer.

Of all the ingredients, the onion takes the longest to cook, so you get that cooking in a big skillet with some oil until it’s slightly browned and tender. Then add the peppers, garlic and spices.

After a couple of minutes, add the tomato paste and wine. Reduce slightly, then add the sausage. As soon as it’s heated through, it’s ready to serve!

You can serve it along with pasta or rice, but for myself, I prepared some spinach with olive oil and salt.

I had a couple of spoonfuls of the sausage mixture on top of the spinach, sprinkled with a bit of parmesan cheese, and it was a delicious, satisfying meal.

Chicken Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions

Servings:  4

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or light olive oil)
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced roasted red peppers (from a jar)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 12 ounces prepared nitrate-free tomato and basil chicken sausage(or any Italian-style sausage), sliced

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil, then the chopped onion.  Saute for 5-10 minutes, until slightly browned and tender.

Add the red peppers, garlic and spices and continue cooking for 2 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and wine, and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the sliced sausage and cook until heated through.

Variations:  Add sliced mushrooms in the first step when cooking the onions.  Add fresh spinach along with the sausage and cook just until wilted.

Red Curry Cauliflower with Crispy Tofu

This recipe has a few steps to it, and takes a little longer to prepare, but it’s worth it!

The main ingredients are tofu, a slightly sweet, tart and spicy sauce made from red curry paste and lime, and cauliflower.

I adapted this recipe from the book: “Myers & Chang at Home.” The author, Joanne Chang, is well known for founding a chain of restaurants in Boston called Flour Bakery & Cafe. I sampled amazing food there when I visited Boston a few years ago. Later, she opened Myers & Chang with her husband.

I like to take tips and techniques from many different sources and adapt them for my recipes. For example, if a recipe uses sugar, I usually substitute stevia. If it includes pasta or rice, I substitute vegetables or salad. I may cut back on the amount of salt or oil used.

For this recipe, I used a technique to press and bake tofu to give it a chewy, crispy consistency. I have read about this in more than one place, but here I used advice from MinimalistBaker.com, from their recipe: Crispy Peanut Tofu and Cauliflower Rice Stir-Fry.

You start by opening a package of extra-firm tofu and placing it on a clean kitchen towel.

Then you wrap the towel around the tofu several times until it’s completely covered.

Then you put a weight on top of it to press out all the water. This will give it a denser, chewier consistency when cooked. You can use any heavy items you have around the house. In this case, I used a cutting board, a trivet and a tea kettle filled with water.

After 15 minutes, slice the block of tofu in half lengthwise, then into small cubes. Place them on a parchment paper lined tray.

Bake the tofu at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. It comes out slightly crispy, dense and chewy.

The first time I had crispy tofu like this was in a restaurant, and I really enjoyed it. But most likely, that was deep fried. This version is much healthier since it’s baked. It’s so different from regular tofu that might be used in soups or lightly sauteed where it’s still mushy and without flavor. This tofu holds up to any stir-fry and sauce that you choose to prepare.

While the tofu is baking, make the Red Curry Sauce. It’s very simple…you just add a bit of oil, prepared red curry paste, coconut milk, sugar, curry powder, salt and lime. The recipe called for 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, but instead I used 1 tablespoon of Truvia Cane Sugar Blend, made with a blend of stevia and sugar. It’s twice as sweet as sugar, so you use half as much, and you end up with only a very small amount of sugar in each serving.

You squeeze in the lime juice and then throw the rinds into the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes, giving it that extra tart flavor.

Once the sauce is ready, set it aside and chop some onion, cauliflower and cilantro.

The original recipe calls for blanching the cauliflower in boiling water for 2 minutes. But to save time and avoid washing another pot, I just microwaved it on high for 3 minutes.

Then, get a large skillet nice and hot, add some vegetable oil, and throw in the onions and cauliflower and a bit of salt. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are slightly browned.

Then add half of the red curry sauce. The original recipe uses the full amount of sauce, as well as more salt and more oil, but I don’t think it’s necessary. (And the great thing is that you’ll have enough sauce left over to make another recipe in the future.)

After simmering the cauliflower and onion for 5 minutes, add the crispy baked tofu.

Simmer for another 2 minutes to allow the tofu to absorb the flavors. Then add the cilantro and serve.

It’s such a delicious combination, slightly charred cauliflower, dense and chewy tofu, with a spicy, sweet, salty and tart sauce.

Red Curry Cauliflower with Crispy Tofu

Servings:  4

1 (16-ounce) block of extra-firm organic tofu

Red Curry Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or light olive oil)
  • 1/4 cup red curry paste (such as Roland)
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (from a can)
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon stevia baking blend (such as Truvia)
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 lime, quartered

Stir-Fry

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 medium head cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons Red Curry Sauce (half the recipe)
  • Crispy baked tofu
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the tofu from the package and place in a clean kitchen towel.  Fold the towel several times over to fit the shape of the tofu.  Place a heavy cutting board, plus a cast iron skillet, books, or a tea kettle filled with water on top of the tofu to press out the water. 

After 15 minutes, slice the block of tofu in half lengthwise, then cut into cubes, approximately 1 inch thick.  Place them on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the tofu is baking, make the Red Curry Sauce.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil along with the curry paste in a small saucepan.  Stir and simmer for 2 minutes over low heat until fragrant.  Add the coconut milk, curry powder, stevia and salt.  Squeeze the juice from the lime and add the 4 lime rinds to the sauce.  Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently with a whisk.  Turn off the heat and set aside.

Cut the cauliflower in fourths, then cut off each stem at the base to remove the leaves.  Cut into small florets and place in a large bowl.  Cover and microwave on High for 3 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, then toss in the chopped onion, cauliflower and salt.  Stir-fry for 6-8 minutes until slightly charred.  Add half the amount of Red Curry Sauce that you prepared, approximately 6 tablespoons.  The remainder can be frozen and used another time.  Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the crispy tofu cubes and simmer for another 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Cheesy Crustless Spinach Quiche

I like to make quiche at the beginning of the week, then I don’t have to worry about cooking for several days. It’s a great way to use up leftovers. I had a large bunch of spinach that I wanted to use, as well as some feta cheese, so this was the perfect recipe.

It also freezes well, so you can just cut it in slices and freeze, then microwave for a minute or two and it’s ready to eat.

In this version, I decided to add a combination of cheeses along with the spinach, plus oregano and fresh dill, so it ended up tasting a bit like Spanakopita, a delicious Greek dish made from spinach and feta.

Since I’m cutting back on carbs, I like to make quiches without crust. Not to mention, it’s so much easier! You won’t even miss the crust.

As with omelets, there are endless combinations of ingredients you can use: bacon, sausage, ham, mushrooms, broccoli, peppers, onions, swiss, provolone or cheddar. It’s best to keep it simple, with one type of meat (optional), one or two vegetables and some type of cheese.

In today’s recipe, I started by sauteing a big bunch of spinach.

Once it wilted, I added garlic and a pinch of salt, then I squeezed out as much liquid as possible, so the quiche wouldn’t be watery. I spread out the cooked spinach in the bottom of my quiche dish.

Next, I took a quarter cup of crumbled feta cheese and 1 cup of shredded Italian Cheese blend.

I sprinkled the cheeses evenly over the top of the spinach.

Then I gathered the ingredients for the egg mixture: organic eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, oregano and dill. I also have a quarter cup of grated Parmesan to sprinkle on top.

I cracked the eggs into a medium bowl.

Then I poured in a cup of half and half and the spices.

I whisked the mixture until it was blended evenly, and poured it into the quiche dish.

Finally, I sprinkled the Parmesan over the top before popping it in the oven at 350.

I baked it for 45 minutes, and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

It turned out perfectly! The quiche was soft inside, with a slight crunch from the browned cheese on top, tangy feta, creamy mozzarella and spinach with just enough spices to give it that Mediterranean flavor that I love. It’s very satisfying yet low in carbs.

Cheesy Crustless Spinach Quiche

Servings:  6

  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • 1 tablespoon organic butter
  • 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Italian cheese
  • 6 large organic eggs
  • 1 cup organic half and half
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill weed
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch quiche or deep pie dish with olive oil.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add the butter, and cook the spinach until just wilted.  Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and stir for another few seconds, then remove from the heat.

Place the spinach in a colander and squeeze out the liquid with the back of a spoon.  Place the spinach in the greased dish and distribute evenly over the bottom.

Sprinkle the feta and Italian cheese blend over the spinach.

In a medium bowl, use a whisk to beat the eggs with the cream and spices.  Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and spinach in the dish.

Sprinkle the Parmesan or Romano cheese evenly over the top. 

Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until set.  While baking it will rise a few inches over the top of the dish, so make sure there’s room in the oven.  After you remove it, it will return to the normal level.

Let cool for 15-20 minutes to make it easier to slice.

Variations:  If you don’t have fresh spinach, thaw a package of frozen spinach, squeeze out the liquid, add a bit of garlic, salt and a drizzle of olive oil and place in the quiche dish, then proceed to add the cheeses, and remaining ingredients.