Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Garlic over Soft Polenta, it's the cure for what ails, yah! It is vegan comfort food. It is the kind of food that you can smell coming in the door, and you run to the kitchen and say "Something smells good! What's for dinner?"
Well, actually, I don't run in the door and say something smells good, because I'm the one inside making the meal. I bring home the vegan bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never, never let you forget you're a man . . . cause I'm a woman . . Angelieee" (1970s commercial reference. I'm probably getting the name of the product a little wrong, but it was a catchy tune.)
We now return to our regularly scheduled program:
This is a great dish! Thanks to the packages of 6 red bell peppers at Wegmans, I just happened to have peppers on hand. I bought organic polenta and vegan Italian-style sausages at Healthy U, and all the other ingredients are in my fabulously stocked pantry and frig.
I planned ahead to make this mid-week meal, so I had an undisturbed hour in my kitchen. However, I didn't need it. Cutting the peppers and onions into a uniform rough chop took 5 minutes max. I use pre-minced garlic, so I had the veggies assembled and on a jelly-roll pan in my 425 degree oven in no time flat. While those cooked I sliced the vegan sausage links and whipped up the polenta.
(I think this would also be good on pre-made polenta. You could slice it and fry it in a pan to give it a brown crusty "edge" and I think it would make a really nice dinner presentation. Added bonus: quicker and less stirring and watching the pot.)
Anyway, After 20 minutes, I added the sausage to the veggies and they all cook for another 20 minutes. This is the part that makes the kitchen smell fabulous! 14 year old came home and wanted to eat it out of the oven, it smelled that good.
Results: I enjoyed a big helping as did my 14 year old. 10 year old boycotted the whole dish because his desire to terrorize the neighborhood on his bike outweighed his need for sustenance. Husband came home, hinted at the existence of onions (hidden and limited in his dish) but perked up at the mention of polenta.
Note: Don't skimp on or forget to drizzle the EVOO and/or balsamic vinegar. It gives the dish a nice finish and zip.
Penny Pinching: If you buy peppers in season, this meal is cheap! Sausages will set you back $6.00, but that isn't much to feed a family of four. Polenta is cheapest if you buy it dry and make it yourself with broth. Pre-made polenta would push up the price another $3.00.
Variations: If your family is veggie friendly, but doesn't favor onions, I think adding zuchini rounds would be a nice addition. It would also add some contrasting color. If you wanted multiple protein sources you could add cubed and pan-fried tofu squares.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Give Me Some Skin! Potato Skin, that is!
Potato Skins with all the Fixin's is the A-#1 favorite recipe in this book, so far. My whole family loved these and asked for them the next week. What did I learn from this? Melt cheese on a starch and people love it!
This recipe takes some early prep. Bake your potatoes the day before to cut down on dinner time. Save some energy and cook them in the hot oven that you are using for pizza or a casserole.
The SBs tell you to cut the potatoes into quarters, so I did. But, I also left some potato skins in halves, and this way they held more filling and cooked without dripping onto the pans. Bigger potato means longer cooking time, but that's okay. It takes awhile for the soy cheese to melt, so it works out.
These were sooooo gooood! Major comfort food! Perfect PMS food! THE food for a Friday night when you really want a beer and a Netflix. This would be a great addition to a Super Bowl party. So, feel free to invite us and I'll bring these!
Taste Test: Filling and full of flavor! Go buy the stuff and make them now!
Penny Pinching: Not too expensive. Potatoes are cheap. The cheese will set you back about $5.00. You use 1/2 of each package of cheese, so to be smart and not waste, you could choose one type and use the whole package. (Do it, if you don't use the other half, it will go bad in a week.)
Options: I'll let you know, but I think adding broccoli florets to these would be a good choice. It would add color and veggies. Try it, you'll like it!
This recipe takes some early prep. Bake your potatoes the day before to cut down on dinner time. Save some energy and cook them in the hot oven that you are using for pizza or a casserole.
The SBs tell you to cut the potatoes into quarters, so I did. But, I also left some potato skins in halves, and this way they held more filling and cooked without dripping onto the pans. Bigger potato means longer cooking time, but that's okay. It takes awhile for the soy cheese to melt, so it works out.
These were sooooo gooood! Major comfort food! Perfect PMS food! THE food for a Friday night when you really want a beer and a Netflix. This would be a great addition to a Super Bowl party. So, feel free to invite us and I'll bring these!
Taste Test: Filling and full of flavor! Go buy the stuff and make them now!
Penny Pinching: Not too expensive. Potatoes are cheap. The cheese will set you back about $5.00. You use 1/2 of each package of cheese, so to be smart and not waste, you could choose one type and use the whole package. (Do it, if you don't use the other half, it will go bad in a week.)
Options: I'll let you know, but I think adding broccoli florets to these would be a good choice. It would add color and veggies. Try it, you'll like it!
Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Pine Nuts
I'm not nuts, I knew this would not be a family favorite, but I made it anyway. Don't get me wrong, my sons like spaghetti squash, they just like it slathered in butter and salt and served alongside chicken fingers or hamburgers. So, I had a feeling there would be a lot of leftovers for mom. Sure enough, there were.
Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Pine Nuts is on page 140 of SBK. The SBs call this a Staple Meal. Hmmmmm, I don't think this is a meal, I think it is more like a side dish.
There are two main components of this dish: the baked spaghetti squash and the braised greens.
It is easy to bake the spaghetti squash, just chop it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and turn it face down on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment. It has to bake at 375 degrees for about an hour.
The braised greens are easy, but take more effort. Top the squash with the braised greens and you have your dish.
Taste test: Only Mom ate the whole dish. My boys all ate spaghetti squash, but none wanted to try the green stuff. I thought it was interesting. The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce give the greens a smokey spicey flavor. The raisins give it some sweetness. I don't know what the pine nuts are supposed to add other than garnish or some al dente body. It was a pretty earthy looking dish.
Penny Pinching: This is a cheap dish. Pantry items plus a $1.79 bunch of fresh kale and a $4.00 spaghetti squash add up to a very reasonable and healthy side dish. I don't think I would serve this to company unless they were vegan or adventurous.
Skinny Bitch Update: So far, so good! I have a very vegan-friendly pantry! I am getting pretty friendly with the smoothies and the different ways to serve vegan chix and burgers. I think my kids will eat anything that is served along side tater tots! But hey, a trip to Healthy U frozen foods department can round out a vegan meal quick and easy! I recommend the tots and fries, but the boys didn't like the onion rings. Don't know why, I loved each and every one of them! Ooopss, was I supposed to share?
Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Pine Nuts is on page 140 of SBK. The SBs call this a Staple Meal. Hmmmmm, I don't think this is a meal, I think it is more like a side dish.
There are two main components of this dish: the baked spaghetti squash and the braised greens.
It is easy to bake the spaghetti squash, just chop it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and turn it face down on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment. It has to bake at 375 degrees for about an hour.
The braised greens are easy, but take more effort. Top the squash with the braised greens and you have your dish.
Taste test: Only Mom ate the whole dish. My boys all ate spaghetti squash, but none wanted to try the green stuff. I thought it was interesting. The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce give the greens a smokey spicey flavor. The raisins give it some sweetness. I don't know what the pine nuts are supposed to add other than garnish or some al dente body. It was a pretty earthy looking dish.
Penny Pinching: This is a cheap dish. Pantry items plus a $1.79 bunch of fresh kale and a $4.00 spaghetti squash add up to a very reasonable and healthy side dish. I don't think I would serve this to company unless they were vegan or adventurous.
Skinny Bitch Update: So far, so good! I have a very vegan-friendly pantry! I am getting pretty friendly with the smoothies and the different ways to serve vegan chix and burgers. I think my kids will eat anything that is served along side tater tots! But hey, a trip to Healthy U frozen foods department can round out a vegan meal quick and easy! I recommend the tots and fries, but the boys didn't like the onion rings. Don't know why, I loved each and every one of them! Ooopss, was I supposed to share?
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