Month: October 2016

Kielbasa, Bacon & Cabbage soup

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This. Is. Amazing. End of story.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 slices bacon, chopped
  • 16-24 oz of Kielbasa (I used 24oz b/c the Organic pork sausage I bought came in 12oz packages)
  • 1 small head of organic chopped cabbage (about 6 cups)
  • 1/4 cup onion
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • minced garlic cloves (I used about 5)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbl fresh thyme
  • 6 cups chicken broth (I had leftover turkey stock from last year so I used that!)
  • Freshly grated Parmesan for sprinkling (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a stockpot over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon onto a paper towel lined plate or, as we do in our house, a paper grocery bag!
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  2. Add sliced kielbasa and saute until nicely browned.
  3. Add onion and cabbage and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
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  4. Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, cooking 1-2 minutes more.
  5. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste (I added another teaspoon of salt)
  6. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan (optional)

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NOTE: The bacon I used created A LOT of grease. I poured about half out but don’t be surprised as you do want to keep about 1/4 a cup of bacon grease in  your pan for the rest of the recipe. If your bacon creates more than that, you are not obligated to throw any out, just be aware it will make it more rich (not necessarily a bad thing!) 🙂

NUTRITIONAL STATS for 6 servings, using 1lb sausage

321 cals, 21g fat, 8g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 17g protein

Sausage and Veggie Skillet

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As I officially feel more transferred into Fall, I’m doing more meal planning and seem to be erring to the side of soups and comfort food. This one pan/skillet dish met all my needs. Hot, fresh, delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half
  • 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets
  • 2 large bell peppers (I used one orange, one yellow), chopped into thick squares
  • 9 oz (usually 3 sausages) sausage of your choice, sliced. I used Aidells Chicken Basil Roasted Garlic but any sausage would be good in this!
  • 6 Tbl olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbl each dried oregano and dried parsley
  • seasoned to taste with salt and pepper (I started with 1 tsp each and finished with more salt after cooking)
  • Optional: Grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (foil can work, too).
  2. Place all chopped veggies and sausage on your sheet pan. Drizzle the olive oil and spices on top. Toss to evenly coat all the veggies (you can do this ahead of time in a bowl, too, if that’s easier for you).

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  3. Bake 15 minutes, remove from oven and flip all veggies/meat around. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender and sausage is browned.
  4. OPTIONAL: Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (you know I did!)

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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serves 6. 278 calories, 20g fat, 16g carbs, 5g fiber, 12g protein

Roasted Bacon Brussel Sprouts

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There are a million and one great recipes for roasted bacon brussel sprouts and while I’m sure mine is not unique, it is still darn delicious.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb brussel sprouts, washed, bottoms trimmed and outer leaves removed
  • 4-5 slices of bacon, chopped
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Spread sprouts and bacon on baking sheet and season generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika (plus anything else you may like on there!)
  3. Bake for 2530 minutes, stirring sprouts and bacon halfway through
  4. Sprouts are done when fork tender, but not OVER tender (you don’t want to overcook them). If you have smaller sprouts, you may want to cook closer to 20 minutes. Mine were medium so I cooked for 30 minutes and they were perfectly done. Larger ones may require more time.

Eat and enjoy!!

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Roasted bacon sprouts ready for fridge storage!