Braised Cabbage with Chorizo and Beans

I made two cabbage/bean/chorizo recipes in a row. This one came from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express. This is a great little cookbook. I think it's a great book for people just learning to cook seasonally and wish I had seen this book long ago. I actually halved this recipe - because Bittman doesn't really make clear how many or how much is a serving. I wish I would have cut the cabbage into slightly smaller chunks, I think it would have helped speed up the cooking. I used Mexican chorizo instead of the smoked Spanish chorizo it describes - all was well, my friends. I used breadcrumbs that I had made from an old hard rock French loaf. With the breadcrumbs sprinkled on top, I found pure comfort in a real winter dish on a cold night. [To make it gluten free - just use Parmesan instead of breadcrumbs.]

Are you still just making slaw with your cabbage? Shame on you!

Braised Cabbage with Spanish Chorizo and Beans
(Serves 3-4)

Sliced smoked chorizo into quarter-inch-thich pieces, then cook in olive oil until it begins to crisp. Slice a head of green cabbage into weight wedges and put it on top of the chorizo; add a couple of cups of cooked or drained canned cannellini or other white beans, spreading to surround the cabbage; cover and cook for a few minuages, then flip the cabbage and stir the beans. Continue cooking until everything is warmed through, season with salt and pepper, and serve topped with toasted breadcrumbs or croutons and a drizzle of olive oil.

White Bean and Cabbage Soup

Simmer down! This is not the horribly bland cabbage soup recipe you used that summer after freshman year when you were trying to quickly drop the added pounds. It is, however, a very comforting and hearty bowl of soup that will knock these winter nights out of the park.

It also comes from my new favorite cookbook Recipes from the Root Cellar. I halved the recipe and used the other half of the cabbage for a recipe that will be posted on the blog soon. I used Mexican Chorizo instead of Spanish. The difference? Mine was crumbly like hamburger meat and not really like smoked sausage. Honestly, you should never feel like you HAVE to have the exact ingredients. Cooking is all about making what you have work for you. I will say that I think the recipe needs more broth... it just seemed to be more like a stew. I also forgot to put the white beans (which I cooked at home) until after I had my first bowl. So that may have been why the broth to ingredients ratio seemed off. Oops.

I am telling you people to give cabbage a chance. I have a friend that says he can't get excited about cabbage, "It's just cabbage" he says. I used to be the same way, but now I know if you add the right ingredients cabbage is as tasty as you can make it. I am excited because I am about to cook with my first head of red cabbage soon!

Have you made cabbage a part of your winter diet?

White Bean and Cabbage Soup
(Serves 6-8)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small head green or savoy cabbage, thinly sliced (6-8 cups)
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 pound thin-skinned potatoes (do not peel), cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces Spanish chorizo, andouille, or other full-flavored, fully, cooked sausage
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans, or 1 (15-ounce) can, rinsed and drained.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and onion and saute until beginning to color, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the broth, potatoes, and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and summer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Stir in the beans and simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

Quick Roast Chicken & Root Vegetables

I made this recipe one weekend when Mallory was gone. I had just cleaned up the kitchen really well and was ready to try a new recipe. I found this new winter favorite from  the book EatingWell on a Budget. I actually made several changes. I roasted a chicken last summer and it was delicious. I couldn't believe people weren't roasting chickens every other day! I put the leftover chicken on sandwiches and I am pretty sure some of the meat found its way into a fritata. I am not a big fan of having a lot of leftovers (because it invites food waste), but there was no reason any of that chicken was going to be wasted.

I used chicken legs and thighs instead of breasts, substituted oregano for the marjoram, used half a red onion instead of a shallot, and balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar. Trust me - none of the substitutions took away from the recipe. I halved the recipe - but my proportions were still a little off. I used three chicken pieces when I should have just used two. And I think I cut up too many turnips and potatoes. I got about three servings out of it and that is pretty much what I ate all weekend. I served it with  beer braised cabbage. It's too good not try people!

Do you roast chicken and vegetables regularly?

Quick Roast Chicken  Root Vegetables
(Serves 4)

1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound baby potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 bone-in chicken breasts (12 ounces each), skin and fat removed, cut in half crosswise
1 large shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons red- or white-wine vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.


2. Toss turnips, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a medium bowl. Spread in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow dish. Transfer 2 teaspoons of the flour to a small bowl and whisk in broth; set aside. Season chicken with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off excess. (Discard any leftover flour.)

4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, skinned-side down, and cook until well browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

5. After the vegetables have been roasting for 15 minutes, stir them and place one piece of chicken, skinned-side up, in each corner of the baking sheet. (Set the skillet aside.) Return the vegetables and chicken to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes more.

6. When the chicken and vegetables have about 10 minutes left, return the skillet to medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk the reserved broth mixture again, add to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Stir in mustard and vinegar. Serve the chicken and vegetables with the sauce.

Per serving: 333 calories; 10 g fat (2 g sat, 6 g mono); 72 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 31 g protein; 4 g fiber; 770 mg sodium; 1033 mg potassium.

Holy Mole | Sweet Potato Chorizo Mole

This is a recipe I found months ago and have been waiting and waiting to find a chance to make it. I, of course, cut the recipe in half and it easily fed three ladies. It comes from Almost Meatless a great little cookbook about utilizing meat as a flavoring instead of as a main event. It's perfect for people who don't eat a lot of meat, trying to reduce meat, or simply trying to save money (meat is expensive, yo!).  You could easily get four servings out of the halved recipe if you served it with two generous sides. This might even make a nice romantic meal for a Valentine's dinner (or for yours truly's pity party). It's spicy and comforting - just what we need to combat the winter nights!

Honestly, this isn't hard. I will say that I used corn that I froze last summer and black beans that I cooked and seasoned from a dried state. I also had two different colors of sweet potatoes and used both - just to jazz it up a bit. You do have to plan a little because the bake time is kind of long. Pop it in the oven, open a bottle of red wine, get Pandora going, and stare into the eyes of someone you love. You'll be screaming Holy Mole once it pops out of the oven.

How awesome are sweet potatoes, by the way?!

Sweet Potato Chorizo Mole
(Serves 4 to 6)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 ounces (about 2 links) chorizo sausage
1/2 small onions, cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, juices strained and reserved, tomatoes chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, or 1 (11-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds yellow or orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/8 inch slices, or in disks
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 avocado sliced for garnish
2 limes, cut into wedges, for garnish
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush a 9 by 13-inch baking dish lightly with oil.

2. To prepare the tomato mixture, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the surface of the sausage lengthwise to remove the meat from the casings. Crumble the meat into the hot pan and saute for about 5 minutes, breaking it up further as it cooks and begins to brown. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and the oregano and cook for 30 seconds more.

2. Pour the reserved tomato juices into the pan to delgaze, scraping the bits from the bottom. Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and chocolate. Stir to combine while the chocolate melts. Add the corn and black beans, reduce heat to medium, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the water. Taste for seasoning and add salt and appear if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, to assemble and cook, spread one-third of the sweet potatoes on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, overlapping the slices. Scoop half the tomato mixture (a heaping cup) and spread evenly across the first layer of potatoes. Top with one-third of the shredded cheese and spread evenly across the first layer of potatoes. Top with one-third of the shredded cheese. Repeat this layer process, ending with a layer of potatoes. Top with one-third of the shredded cheese.

4. Once assembled, cover with foil, pushing it onto the surface of the top layer, and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender (yellow sweet potatoes tend to take longer). Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining third of the cheese atop the potatoes. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the layers to set up. Cut and serve with avocado and lime wedges. Garnish with cilantro as desired.

Turkey and Dressing

So this is what it's all about! Turkey and dressing. Yes, this recipe calls it stuffing - but here in Alabama we call it dressing. Deal! The wonderful thing about cooking for two - no leftover turkey. (Though if you do have leftover turkey you should make Turkey Curry).

Remember those corn muffins I posted about the other day? Yup... that's right, I used them for this EatingWell Serves Two recipe. This was very simple to make and very tasty! You should probably ask for the cookbook next Christmas, because it NEVER lets me down.

As a group of Southern taste testers sat around the table with me to eat this food, almost everyone agreed that this was good. All in all... there wasn't anything left of my Christmas Dinner - which is why I love cooking the Tiny Tables way!

How do you like your dressing? Simple and classic? Or complex and new? Leave a comment, people!

Turkey and Dressing
(Serves Two)

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 small, homemade corn muffins or 1 large store-bought corn muffin, crumbled
1 tablespoons minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
8 ounces turkey cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add corn muffin and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add sage, cranberries and about 1/2 cup broth and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Wash and dry the pan.

2. Season turkey with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge the turkey in it. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and over with foil to keep warm.

3. Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1/2 cup broth, wine, and mustard. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly reduced, to 4 minutes. Serve the sauce over the dressing and turkey.

Sauteed Chicken with Radishes

I was actually getting to the point where I had at least one recipe for every vegetable that was coming in the box. Then Grow Alabama put radishes in the box and they wouldn't let me swap them for anything else.

I mean come on, radishes? They are probably one of my least favorite vegetables. I don't care for them in salads and no matter how many times it's suggested - I don't want to dip them into hummus. There just isn't much you can do with these things. And truly... looking for a recipe that actually cooked them was kind of hard. Finding one that was scaled down for two? Even harder!

I finally came across a recipe in a cookbook simply called Cooking for Two. I have used this book before and before I discovered Eating Well Serves Two, it was the one I had the most success with.

This is a very simple recipe, so simple it took me less than 20 minutes to put together. I used actual white wine and regular white vinegar because I couldn't find either Vermouth or any of the suggested vinegars at Western. Mallory had never eaten a radish until I sliced her off a peice the other day. She claims she really liked this recipe. I served it with green beans I froze earlier this summer and sweet potatoes that I baked last week. It was a simple and easy dinner.

Do you like radishes? Do you cook with them? If so, how? Share your tips and tricks for radish cookery in the comments below.

Sauteed Chicken with Radishes
(Serves Two)

Two 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large radishes, washed for sand and thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry vermouth
2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar, or white whine vinegar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

1. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface, lay the two chicken breasts on top with about 4 inches between them, and cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap. Pound the breasts to a 1/4-inch thickness, using the smooth side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy saucepan. Remove from the plastic wrap, season the breasts with salt and pepper, and set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Swirl in the oil, then slip the seasoned breasts into the pan. Saute for 3 minutes, then turn and saute for 3 more minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to two dinner plates with tongs or a slotted spoon, tent the plates loosely with foil to keep the breasts warm, and return the pan to medium heat without removing any of the pan's residual fat.

3. Stir in the sliced radishes and saute for about 2 minutes, or until they begin to go limp and are very fragrant. Pour in the vermouth and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring the vermouth to a simmer, cook for about 15 seconds, just until slightly reduced, then pour in the vinegar. Stir once or twice, then swirl in the butter and take the pan off the heat. Keep stirring until the butter is melted and incorporated into the sauce. Remove the foil from the breasts and pour the sauce evenly over each of them, spooning radishes onto the plates as well. Serve at once.

Nutrition Info:
Calories - 378
Fat - 18g
Fiber - .4g

Braised Pork Chops with Turnips and Apples

First off, I am posting this as pork chops because that's the meat listed in the recipe. I didn't have pork chops, so I decide that chicken thighs (with skin and bones) would have to work.

I will take this moment to talk about how much I love a good boned meat (ooh la la...). I am effing tired of boneless skinless meat. I know I know, it's healthier, cooks faster, and generally easy to use in recipes. However, my aging taste buds are craving something with a deeper flavor. Bones provide wonderful flavor, and if you save them you can make homemade broth. There is also something great about tearing meat off a bone.

What I also love about this recipe, is that it embraces a winter root vegetable. Since my family never ate a lot of greens, I never saw the root. Last year at some point I just received the roots and I actually had to use the Internet to identify them. The little purple and white bulbs smell kind of bitter when you peel and cut them, so you might be hesitant to try them. Don't be! I am always shocked at how much I enjoy turnip roots.

This recipe is another from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker: Recipes for Two. All you do is sear the meat, saute the onions, and them dump everything into the slow cooker. Then you can go to work or clean up your apartment, or just sit on the couch all day like I did.

As for changes to the recipe, I used chicken thighs instead of pork. I used half of a white onion in place of the shallots, and I used low fat sour cream instead of cream fraiche.

The flavors come together nicely. The chicken was great and I could imagine how good a pork chop could be as well. The apples kind of lost their shape, but the turnips held together nicely. I served it alongside some multi-grain pilaf and dug in. Yummy!

Are you tired of boneless skinless meat? What are some of your favorite winter vegetables? How do you use them in the kitchen? Please share with us in the comments section!







Braised Pork Chops with Turnips and Apples
(Serves Two)

Cooker: 1 1/2 to 2 quart
Setting and Cook Time: LOW for 6 to 7 hours

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Two 1-inch thick boneless center-cut pork chops or shoulder chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 shallots, sliced
1 tart cooking apple, peeled, cored, and sliced into wedges
1/4 cup apples juice or apple cider
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 to 3 tablespoons creme fraiche

1. In a heavy skillet over high heat, melt the olive oil and butter together and quickly sear and brown the pork chops on both sides. Place in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Quickly saute the shallot in the pan and place in the slow cooker, along with the apple and turnip. Blend the apple juice with the mustard and pour into the crock. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, until the meat is tender.

3. Transfer the chops, apples, and turnips to a platter. Turn the cooker to HIGH and whisk in the cream fraiche. Add salt to taste and pour the sauce over the pork. Serve immediately.

Grits and Greens Casserole

This is probably my last greens recipe for a while (one can hope). Now that I've gathered up some recipes I like, I'll probably just recycle those for a while. You'd think from the way I've been carrying on that I don't care for greens. Honestly, until this season I only really ate spinach. I'd eat a green if it was served to me, but I didn't go out of my way to cook them. I think also is that it's hard to cook the way I want to (one to two servings at a time) when you literally have a bushel of greens in your fridge. And every day I open the fridge they look a little sadder, forcing me to cook double batches or large serving recipes to use them up.

However, at the time I made this Eating Well recipe I was actually able to cut the recipe in half. But let me tell you, my excitement about this recipe could hardly be contained. Everything in it was something I liked grits, greens, cheese, and bacon! (Once again, this recipe could easily be made vegetarian with a few modifications.) It seemed a little odd to make this and I was really worried it would turn out gross, but I was quite pleased with the results. I served it with ham steak and salad and asked my friend Linc to come share this meal with me. He seemed to enjoy it, and Mallory enjoyed the ham and salad part. I actually ate the leftovers with a fried egg, and it was a great breakfast/brunch kind of thing!

Do you make any strange casseroles that sound like they'd be horrible (IE tater tot casserole), but are actually really tasty? Please tell me all about it in the comments section. If anything, just say hi and let me know you actually read this.








Grits and Greens Casserole
(Serves Six)

4 slices bacon, chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 cups chopped collard greens or kale, stems removed (about 1 large bunch, 1 1/2-2 pounds)
2 cups water, plus more as needed
1 cup grits (not instant)
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup prepared salsa
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat an 8-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place bacon (if using) in a large Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until crispy, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off the bacon fat.

3. Return the pot to medium-low heat; add oil, onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and starting to brown in spots, 2 to 8 minutes (cooking time will be quicker if you started with bacon). Add 1 cup broth and salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Add collards (or kale); stir until wilted down to about one-third the volume and bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Adjust heat during cooking to maintain a simmer, and add water, 1/4 cup at a time, if the pan seems dry.

4. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water and the remaining 1 cup broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Pour in grits in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking often, until thick, about 5 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup cheese, salsa and egg in a small bowl. Remove the grits from the heat and quickly stir in the cheese mixture until combined.

5. Working quickly, spread about half the grits in the prepared baking dish. Top with greens, spreading evenly. Spread the remaining grits over the greens. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and the reserved bacon (if using).

6. Bake the casserole until hot and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup

-My friends, the recipes for greens never ends! I find myself singing the song from the musical Into The Woods... ♪Greens, greens, and nothing but greens!♪. After working with them, I have realized that I really enjoy collards, kale, and of course spinach. Sadly, mustard and turnip greens don't always substitute well in recipes. However, no substitutions were needed for this Eating Well recipe. If you recall I talked about how collards were often just lumped into Southern Cuisine and recipes I have found played around with that. Collard Green and Black-Eyed Pea soup couldn't sound more Southern. And once you read the recipe and realize there is bacon in it you know you've found a winner. (On a side note, this recipe easily adapts to a vegetarian by changing the broth and skipping the bacon or substituting soy bacon).

This recipe is not for two, but I divided it into freezer bags with two servings in each bag. They are now frozen and will be enjoyed later. I've never been a huge fan of canned soups, so having frozen soup in two serving portions is super nice. Perfect for Sunday lunches when I don't want to cook. I was able to use not only collards from my box, but also carrots. I had no taste testers to give me feedback (my room mate shys away from cooked greens) but I really enjoyed the soup and will make it again when I have collards.

The only thing I changed about the recipe, was that I just made regular cheese toast with whole wheat sandwich bread and Swiss cheese.

I find that I've been making a lot more soups this year than I have in the past. What are your favorite soups you make at home? Please share in the comments section.






Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup
(Serves 6)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
5 cloves garlic, (4 sliced and 1 whole), divided
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
5 cups chopped collard greens, or kale leaves (about 1 bunch), tough stems removed
1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed
6 1/2-inch-thick slices baguette, preferably whole-grain, cut on the diagonal
6 tablespoons shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
2 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add sliced garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Increase heat to high and add broth, tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in collard greens (or kale), reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig. Stir in black-eyed peas; remove from the heat and cover.

2. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

3. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and broil until lightly toasted, 2 to 4 minutes. Rub each bread slice with the remaining garlic clove. (Discard garlic.) Turn the slices over and top with cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve the soup topped with the cheese toasts and bacon.

Sausage & Lentil Casserole

Don't shoot me... this is another recipe from Eating Well Serves Two. I can't resist the perfectly portioned healthy recipes they offer in this collection.

I was looking up spinach recipes in the index to see if any recipes would allow me to easily sneak in collard greens. My roommate had said she had a thing for lentils and she is trying hard to try new foods. She doesn't like cooked greens, so I was worried this wouldn't work out for her. However, I cut the collards up into smaller pieces and I feel that the texture of the greens was somehow hidden by the rice and lentils. She and I both tasted it and agreed it was pretty good.

However... let me tell you this was not an easy one for me to make. First of all, I love how recipes call for canned lentils. I am certain I have never seen a can of lentils. I thought they all came in bags. So I looked up the conversion chart for dried lentils. I was told 1/2 cup dried lentils makes one cup. Since one can roughly equals two cups, I made a whole cup of lentils. Suddenly I had four cups of cooked lentils. That's okay! Because half of the lentils went into the freezer for another day.

Now I also I had to prep the collards. I had to soak the grit off, slice them up, and cook them. I also didn't have any instant rice, so I decided I would just half way cook some regular rice. And this is where things got out of proportion. I measured out the rice called for in the recipe, and it cooked out a lot of rice. So perhaps if you also do not have instant rice, you should reduce your rice from 3/4 to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. I decided at the time I didn't give a crap and just dumped everything into the casserole dish and baked it.

This is way more than two servings, honestly it's more like 3 or 4. But that's okay... cause it tastes pretty good and I am never going to complain about large servings of healthy casseroles. However, I am sure next time when I reduce the amount of rice it will actually be two servings. FYI, the picture does not do it justice. It tastes a lot better than it looks.

Do you have any healthy(ish) casseroles that you'll be making this winter? Are you sneaking greens into dishes and hoping no one will notice? Please share in the comments section.




Sausage & Lentil Casserole
(Serves Two)

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 link hot Italian sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, chopped
1 14-ounce can lentils, rinsed
1 cup frozen or fresh spinach
3/4 cup reduce-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 cup instant brown rice
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a 1-quart casserole or loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and onion; cooking, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, spinach, broth and oregano. Increase heat to medium-high and cook stirring often, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until the rice is tender, 30-35 minutes. Top with cheese and bake, uncovered, until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes more.

Curried Squash & Chicken Soup

I just call it Thai Butternut Squash soup.

This soup is s(o)uper simple to serve up! So... I think I am just cooking my way through the Eating Well Serves Two cookbook. I actually have come to realize I kind of prefer Eating Well to Weight Watchers cookbooks (previously my all time favorite), because Eating Well seems to realize that there are seasons. Not always, but most of the time I can find recipes that work perfectly with what I have on hand.

The recipe calls for frozen winter squash, but I had pounds of fresh butternut squash sitting in a bowl. So I simply cut them in half (with my very good kitchen knives) and roasted them in a olive oil coated pan. If you buy winter squash at the grocery store, they claim that you can ask the produce guy to cut in half for you. My friend Summer once told me she got Publix to cut her squash. So... I feel confident you can pry into your fresh squash with some effort. Of course, you can take the easy route and buy the frozen stuff.

After I roasted it I scooped it out (yes... I kind of burned my fingers) and then pureed the flesh with my immersion blender. I love that thing! It's as old as me and I can distinctly remember calling it the milkshake maker when I was little. Granny made some awesome blueberry milkshakes. Back to the soup... because the flesh was already hot... I didn't really have to heat it or cook it much. I kind of just dumped the seasonings in, let it simmer for a couple of minutes and then served it.

The recipes says you can leave out the chicken and spinach if you want a simple first-course soup. Or maybe you're like me and just don't have any chicken and spinach around. The recipe also doesn't talk about cooking the chicken, but if you are using raw chicken please cut it very thinly and then cook it until it's done. I bet you could throw it some precooked chicken and it would be fine. I had most everything on hand, and luckily I live next to an Indian-owned convenient store... so finding coconut milk is not a hard task. I forgot to buy limes at the store, so I just used lemon juice from my fridge. I ate this with some simple water crackers and found it quite comforting on these cool nights we've been having.

I actually trippled this recipe and put some of the soup in the freezer. If I remember correctly, I stopped getting winter squash in my box last year around December. I love the taste so much that I wanted to be sure to enjoy it a little longer this time around.

How are you using winter squash this season?






Curried Squash & Chicken Soup
(Serves Two)

1 10-ounce package frozen pureed winter squash
1/2 cup "lite" coconut milk
1/2 cup water
8 ounces boneless, skinless, chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat squash, coconut milk and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash defrosts, about 10 minutes. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in spinach, lime juice, sugar, curry paste to taste and salt and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.