0 Lentil Soup with Sausage Brown Rice and Spinach Things Are Looking Up

Today on Serious Eats: Swiss Chard and Turkey Sausage Over Polenta. So simple. So seductive delicious.

Painful things I have done recently (SPOILER ALERT):

Dislocated and/or broke my left pinky toe on a door frame. That’ll teach me to ... uh ... walk.  

Read the entire Lord of the Rings series. Fellow nerds! Hear my call! Why did no one tell me the books were butt-awful? Sweet bejeezus, Tolkien dedicated entire CHAPTERS to whether Frodo and Sam should take a left at the scary-looking rock, and exactly two pages on the death of Gollum, destruction of the ring, and collapse of Mordor. By the ancient sword of Elendil, Charles *freaking* Dickens would been like, “This needs fewer words, old chap.” 

Admitted my English degree has been fairly useless. With apologies to the Bronte sisters, Jane Eyre does not prepare you for the intricacies of expense reports. 

Watched Precious. “Hm,” I thought halfway through the film, “The only thing that could possibly make this more depressing is if they gave Precious AIDS.” (ten seconds pass) “Aaaaand there you go.” 

Threw out my old music cassette tapes. Oh, man. Here’s something they don’t tell you when you move: Carrying 90 boxes up a flight of stairs isn’t the hardest part. It’s chucking beloved, but outdated and useless possessions, like Open Up and Say ... Ahh!, the 1988 multiplatinum classic from Poison. Every rose has it’s thorn, indeed.

A very enjoyable thing I did recently: 

Ate Double Lentil, Sausage, Brown Rice, and Spinach Soup from the stupendous Kalyn’s Kitchen. Speaking of which, Kalyn just published her Top 10 Recipes of 2010, which you should gaze upon immediately.

HOTUS and I had guests for the first time at our new apartment. As it turns out, it’s impolite to starve company, so thus, the soup. And it tasted good. Real good. So good, there was slurping. From guests! Even my sister liked it, and she hates food.

I made two medium-sized changes to Kalyn’s original recipe: I substituted water in for part of the chicken broth, and used a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika for Spike Seasoning, which I couldn’t find in Brooklyn. Also of note: Kalyn and I both used a 3.5-quart slow cooker. If you don’t own one, she includes instructions to adapt the recipe for the stovetop at Kalyn’s Kitchen. (They’re not included here).

A wonderful thing I have recommenced recently: 

Blogging. Its good to be back, sweet readers.

~~~

If this recipe floats your boaty, these will surely make you gloaty. (Sorry.):

• Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
• Slow Cooker Pork Chops, Apples, and Sweet Potatoes
• White Bean and Kale Soup with Turkey Sausage

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Double Lentil, Sausage, Brown Rice, and Spinach Soup
Serves 6.
Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen.

1/2 medium onion, diced small
1 carrot, peeled and diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
A few shakes each: kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika
3 links pre-cooked chicken or turkey sausage, chopped into 1/3-inch pieces
1 (15-ounce) can petite dice tomatoes, undrained
2 (15-ounce) cans chicken broth
2-1/2 cups water
1/4 cup brown or green lentils
1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 cup long-grain brown rice
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1) Heat olive in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Saute until ever-so-slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Saute an additional 2 minutes.

2) Pour onion mixture into crockpot. Add sausage, tomatoes, broth, water, and all lentils. Stir to combine. Cook on high 3 hours.

3) Add rice and spinach. Stir to combine. Cook 1 more hour.

4) Add balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine. Cook 15 minutes. Serve, with crusty bread and “Parmesan cheese if desired.”

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving
226 calories, 7.8 g fat, 7.3 g fiber, 15.5 g protein, $1.72

Note: Calculations are for Chef Bruce Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausage from CostCo., since the numbers were easily available online. I personally used a different, yet similar brand, the label of which I cant remember, and is currently buried under two feet of garbage.

Calculations
1/2 medium onion, diced small: 23 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.8 g fiber, 0.5 g protein, $0.17
1 carrot, peeled and diced small: 25 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1.7 g fiber, 0.6 g protein, $0.08
2 stalks celery, diced small: 17 calories, 0.2 g fat, 2 g fiber, 0.9 g protein, $0.25
1 tablespoon olive oil: 199 calories, 13.5 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $0.13
3 cloves garlic, minced: 13 calories, 0 g fat, 0.2 g fiber, 0.6 g protein, $0.20
1 teaspoon dried thyme: 3 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.4 g fiber, 0.1 g protein, $0.12
A few shakes each: kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.03
3 links pre-cooked chicken or turkey sausage: 480 calories, 30 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, 42 g protein, $4.34
1 (15-ounce) can petite dice tomatoes, undrained: 70 calories, 0 g fat, 3.5 g fiber, 3.5 g protein, $1.69 (ugh, I know)
2 (15-ounce) cans chicken broth: 67 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 13.1 g protein, $1.33
2-1/2 cups water: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.00
1/4 cup brown or green lentils: 119 calories, 0.5 g fat, 14.7 g fiber, 12.4 g protein, $0.37
1/4 cup red lentils: 119 calories, 0.5 g fat, 14.7 g fiber, 12.4 g protein, $0.37
1/4 cup long-grain brown rice: 171 calories, 1.3 g fat, 1.6 g fiber, 3.7 g protein, $0.18
4 cups chopped fresh spinach: 28 calories, 0.5 g fat, 2.6 g fiber, 3.4 g protein, $0.86
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar: 20 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $0.20
TOTALS: 1354 calories, 46.8 g fat, 43.7 g fiber, 93.2 g protein, $10.32
PER SERVING (TOTALS/6): 226 calories, 7.8 g fat, 7.3 g fiber, 15.5 g protein, $1.72

0 Lighter Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage An Ode to Ma and Dot

Today on Serious Eats: Peppermint Patties - easy, delightful, and dang impressive.

My family is about as Italian as most leprechauns. Still, every Christmas night, Ma prepares lasagna and garlic bread for dinner. It’s not an authentic lasagna. She uses grated Polly-O and a jar of mushroom Prego. However, as we are essentially walking Blarney Stones, it’s good and we like it.

My Aunt Dot, a lifelong New Yorker and hilarious battleaxe, was well-known for two things: 1) clearing the dinner dishes three minutes before you were done eating (known to this day as “pulling a Dorothy”), and 2) baked ziti. She passed last year, so I’ll never find out how she made it. I can guarantee, though, that I’ll spend my whole life trying to replicate the recipe.

Today’s Lighter Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage comes from Cooking Light/Recipe Zaar, and it’s a tribute to both those women. The dish possesses a savory, tomato-ey flavor thats distinctive without being overwhelming, and includes enough parmesan and mozzarella to satisfy any cheese lover. I per my ziti a little dry, but you could always serve it with extra sauce on the side. Oh, and grating your own block of cheese is definitely suggested. It’s cheaper and tastes fresher, since there’s no anti-caking powder involved.

Caveat: I know adding vegetables would have been healthier, and making a sauce from scratch would have given it more culinary credibility, but that wasn’t what I was going for. I wanted a straight baked pasta dish – a bell-less, whistle-less, nutritionally bet, lower calorie recipe that reminded me of Ma’s lasagna and Dot’s ziti. This fit the bill. And while it isn’t a light dish – it is a lighter one, coming in 320 calories and 20 grams of fat under its unenlightened All Recipes’ counterpart:

PER SERVING (6 servings)
All Recipes Baked Ziti with Sausage       865 calories     36.5 g fat
CHG Lighter Baked Ziti with Sausage     547 calories     16.8 g fat

In the end, its delicious. And thats what counts.

This Christmas, I wish yall happiness and good times with family. And if you can cram some baked pasta in there, all the better.

~~~

If you like this recipe, you might also dig:

• Angel Hair Pasta with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce
• Fresh Tomato Lasagna
• Garlic Bread

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Lighter Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage
Yields 6 to 8 servings
Adapted from Cooking Light/Recipe Zaar.

1 pound ziti or penne pasta
4 links (13 or 14 ounces) sweet Italian turkey sausage
1/8 cup onion flakes
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 26-oz jar your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded fresh
2/3 to 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated if possible
Cooking spray

1) Cook pasta in salted water until just short of al dente. Drain and set aside.

2) Separate turkey from casing and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, crumbling the meat with the back of a wooden spoon as you go along. When a little fat is rendered, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally. When meat is nearly browned, add garlic and cook until fragrant.

3) Preheat oven to 350°F.

4) Pour salt, pepper, and sauce into skillet and stir to mix. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover skillet, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every once in awhile. When 10 minutes is up, pour pasta into meat sauce and stir.

5) Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half the pasta mixture on the bottom. Top it with half the mozzarella and half the parmesan. Add the rest of the pasta mixture and finish with mozzarella and parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until everything is warmed through and cheese is slightly browned. Serve with a little extra spaghetti sauce if desired, plus a side veggie. (Peas and carrots went nicely.)

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price
6 servings: 547 calories, 16.8 g fat, 4.8 g fiber, $1.40
7 servings: 469 calories, 14.4 g fat, 4.1 g fiber, $1.20
8 servings: 410 calories, 12.6 g fat, 3.6 g fiber, $1.05

Calculations
1 pound ziti or penne pasta: 1621 calories, 8.1 g fat, 16.2 g fiber, $0.66
4 links (13 or 14 ounces) sweet Italian turkey sausage: 560 calories, 32 g fat, 0 g fiber, $1.99
1/8 cup onion flakes: 24 calories, 0 g fat, 0.6 g fiber, $0.52
2 teaspoons garlic, minced: 8 calories, 0 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, $0.10
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.01
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.01
1 26-oz jar your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Classico Tomato Basil): 360 calories, 8 g fat, 12 g fiber, $1.60
1 cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded fresh: 280 calories, 20 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.75
2/3 to 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated if possible: 431 calories, 28.6 g fat, 0 g fiber: $2.72
Cooking spray: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.05
TOTAL: 3284 calories, 100.7 g fat, 28.9 g fiber, $8.41
PER SERVING (TOTAL/6): 547 calories, 16.8 g fat, 4.8 g fiber, $1.40
PER SERVING (TOTAL/7): 469 calories, 14.4 g fat, 4.1 g fiber, $1.20
PER SERVING (TOTAL/8): 410 calories, 12.6 g fat, 3.6 g fiber, $1.05

0 Apple Sausage Breakfast Patties A Thanksgiving Breakfast Treat ise

Today in mah Serious Eats column: Ellie Kriegers Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Three cheers for the chef! (Ellie, not me.)

In the hubbub over Thanksgiving dinner, we often forget the wonder of glory of Thanksgiving breakfast. And y’know what? It’s a dang shame.

Think about it: The flurry of dinner preparations has not yet begun. Every member of your family is bizarrely and totally accounted for. The older kids are home from college. The younger ones haven’t scurried off to school. Mom isn’t due at the 5am Kohl’s Black Friday sale for another 21 hours. Dad’s awake, and he’s wearing pants. In this day and age, it’s practically a coup d’etat in the name of togetherness.

So, sweet readers, don’t waste this opportunity. This Thanksgiving, sit down and bond with your immediate family before the extendeds and all 57 of their drooling, deafening toddlers arrive. Brew some joe. Scramble some eggs. Toast some, er, toast. Whip up Apple Sausage Breakfast Patties from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

“Make my own meat?” you might holler across the plains. “Are you insane? I’ll have a 34-pound bird to defrost, brine, baste, and slice later that day. Why in the name of Super Grover would I spend my 40 minutes of Thanksgiving free time mixing sausage? Go home, nerd!”

Yikes. You’re not in a good mood today. That’s okay. I understand. And I’m telling you: never fear. These patties only take about 20 minutes, and half of that is cooking time. You can be doing a ton of other things while they warm through, like peeling potatoes and calling Grandma to tell her to bring that gravy bowl you like.

Ooo. And I forgot to mention. Apple Sausage patties are inexpensive, way delicious, and comparatively light. (To give you a yardstick, a Jimmy Dean turkey patty is almost three times the calories and more than four times the fat.) Essentially, they’ll alleviate any negative feelings you’ve ever had about making sausage, plus communism and athlete’s foot.

Of course, if you should try them, know these two things:

1) The parsley in this is listed as “optional,” which is a clever way of saying that I mistook the cilantro in my fridge for parsley, and subsequently failed to purchase any from the supermarket. I didn’t miss it. Neither will you.

2) Nutritional calculations come from Better Homes and their respective Gardens.

Remember folks: Thanksgiving should be a day of appreciation. For everything. Especially family breakfasts.

~~~

If this recipe makes you want to play pattycake, these will propel you right up to double dutch:

• Autumn Sausage Casserole
• DIY Turkey Breakfast Sausage
• Hush Puppy Corn Cakes

~~~

Apple Sausage Breakfast Patties
Makes 8 patties.
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 cup apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced (I used a MacIntosh – Kris)
3 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash o’ cayenne
1/2 pound 93/7 ground turkey breast (I used Shady Brook - Kris)
Nonstick cooking spray

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

1) In a medium bowl, combine egg, onion, apple, oats, salt, sage, nutmeg, pepper, cayenne, and parsley if using. Stir. Add turkey and mush all ingredients together with your hands, as you would for meatballs. Form into eight patties, each about 2 inches long and 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.

2) Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Once hot, add patties. Cook until first side is browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip. Do the same to the other side. Cut into one patty to make sure everything is cooked through. Serve hot.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving
51 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g fiber, 4 g protein, $0.33

Calculations
1 egg white, lightly beaten: $0.33
1/4 cup onion, finely diced: $0.05
1/2 cup apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced: $0.24
3 tablespoons quick-cooking oats: $0.06
1/2 teaspoon salt: $0.01
1/2 teaspoon ground sage: $0.08
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg: $0.03
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper: $0.02
Dash o’ cayenne: $0.01
1/2 pound 93/7 ground turkey breast: $1.68
Nonstick cooking spray: $0.10
TOTAL: $2.61 (Nutritional calcs from Better Homes)
PER SERVING (TOTAL/8): 51 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g fiber, 4 g protein, $0.33