Slow Cooker Smoked Sausage and Root Vegetable Hash with Quinoa

It was 29C yesterday. And it's only April. Slaving over a flaming stove in the heat last night was not an ideal experience, so I'm playing smarter today by busting out the slow cooker. 

I went with a chipotle beef smoked sausage for this recipe because I like spice in everything I eat, but you could easily substitute with any Polish, summer, smoked or Hungarian sausage. I used about 3/4s of of a 12oz package because I'm not feeling super carnivorous; feel free to reduce/increase this amount to your preference. 

You can change up the veggie combination if you like. I picked these ones for their beautiful red, orange and yellow hues. Nutrition-wise, the list is long... Highlights? 
   Beets: omegas, folate and manganese.
   Butternut squash: SO MUCH vitamin A.
   Sweet potato: MORE vitamin A, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.
   Garlic: anti-cancer, immune-strengthening and heart disease prevention.
   Onion: anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, pro-heart health, pro-immune system, and pro-digestion

Serves 4-6

• 2 large beets
• 1 small butternut squash, divided
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 bulb garlic
• 9oz chipotle beef smoked sausage
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1 ground cumin
• pinch chili flakes
• fresh ground pepper and salt
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/3 cup quinoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 1/3 cups vegetable broth or water

Start by peeling and chopping the beets, butternut squash (reserve half squash, unchopped, for later), sweet potato and carrot into bite-sized pieces (~1inch). 

Peel and mince garlic. 

Slice sausage lengthwise in half, then halve again into semi-circles. 

Add sausage and garlic to a non-stick pan over med-high heat. No need to add any oil as the sausage will produce enough once heated. Cook for 3-4min until nicely browned, stirring occasionally. 

Meanwhile, lightly spray your slow cooker with non-fat cooking spray. Add chopped beets to slow cooker. 

Once your sausage and garlic are browned, remove from heat. Add chopped butternut squash, sweet potato, carrot, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili flakes, pepper and salt to the pan. Stir and toss to coat the vegetables in the spices and sausage oils. 

Add contents of the pan to the crock pot, cover, and set to cook on low for 4.5-5 hours. Go do other stuff, like not sweat over a hot stove in the heat :)

A little closer to meal time, finely dice the onion and reserved half butternut squash. Add to non-stick pot, with 1 tsp olive oil, over med-high heat. Stir for 2 minutes, then cover with lid, reduce heat to low, and let cook for another 8 minutes. Increase to high heat, add quinoa, salt and cumin, then stir for another minute before adding vegetable broth or water. Once it has reached boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 15-20min or until all liquid absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing and dishing out. 

Serve the quinoa and slow-cooked hash side by side, or dish the hash out over top of the quinoa. Enjoy! 

Chicken and Asparagus Penne, Bell Pepper & Tomato Sauce

I've been guilty of buying store-bought pasta sauce for way too long. There's no excuse considering how quick and easy this sauce recipe is, plus the added satisfaction of knowing the healthy ingredients you're putting into the sauce! 

I chose asparagus as my green vegetable for this dish because this detoxifying plant is packed full of antioxidants, and vitamins K, C, A and E, and also because the OCD in me enjoys cutting asparagus spears down to the same length as the penne noodles. Feel free to substitute with different greens, like peas, zucchini, etc.

Makes dinner for 2, and leftover lunches for 2

• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
• chicken marinade: 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne or chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 red bell peppers
• 5 roma tomatoes
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 tsp of each: basil, oregano, parsley
• salt, pepper, and cayenne/chili flakes, to taste
• 1 box (375g) whole grain penne, or pasta of choice
• optional: 1 6oz can tomato paste, plus 6oz water (if you want pasta that is very heavy on sauce)

Begin by slicing the chicken breast into thin strips (about the size of penne). Add all marinade ingredients to chicken and stir to combine. Cover and set aside in fridge. 

Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic cloves. Size and shape won't matter much as they will be pureed in a blender later. 

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic, and let cook for 1min. Reduce heat to med-low, and cover for about 5min. 

Meanwhile, wash, then roughly chop the red bell peppers and roma tomatoes. Be sure to remove the seeds from the peppers. Again, the size and shape of these veggies won't matter as they will also be tossed in the blender later. 

Once the onion has been cooking for 5min, add the chopped peppers and tomatoes, stir, increase to medium heat, cover and let cook for another 5-10min (or til the veggies have softened and broken down a bit - ie. the tomato skins will have separated from the flesh). Remove pan from heat and leave uncovered to let cool. 

While these veggies are cooling, bring a large pot of water (enough to cook the penne) to boil. 

Wash and cut the asparagus down to about the same size as the penne, then set aside. For thicker spears, slice the asparagus lengthwise so it all cooks in the same amount of time. 

Once the veggies have cooled down enough, transfer to a large blender (or in batches to a smaller blender like the magic bullet I used), and puree only til you no longer see large chunks of vegetables. Do not overblend! Pour the blended veggies back into pan. Add dried basil, oregano and parsley, then salt, pepper and cayenne/chili flakes to taste. Stir and bring to med-high heat, then add marinated chicken and asparagus. [optional: if you want to make a pasta that is quite heavy in sauce, now is the time to add the 6oz can of tomato paste and 6oz of water. Just stir it in and let simmer with everything else.] Cover, reduce to med-low and let simmer for 8-10min (or til chicken is cooked through). 

Add penne to boiling water and cook per package instructions. Drain once al dente, and rinse to remove excess starch. Add drained pasta to finished sauce in pan and mix thoroughly to coat the pasta. Serve when pasta has been reheated through. 

Feel free to top with more chili flakes, fresh ground pep, parmesan, or chopped parsley!

Brussel Sprout & Avocado Hash

After a busy year finishing my practicum and teaching adorable preschoolers, there's time again now to get back to food posts! 

Brussel sprouts (don't hate) pack a lot of nutrients and, surprisingly, are a complete protein! Combined with avocado (which also contains 3gr of protein per cup), another one of the healthiest foods you can put in your mouth, this hash makes a seriously filling lunch. It actually was my lunch today, but it's likely more palatable to most as a side dish. 

Yield: side dish for 2-4 people (or a filling lunch/dinner for 1)

• 15-20 brussel sprouts
• 1 large avocado, ripe
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Wash and trim brussel sprouts. Slice lengthwise into quarters. 

Slice avocado in half and remove pit. Halve the avocado again and carefully remove peel. Halve the quartered avocado, then slice into bite-size chunks.

Heat olive oil over med-high heat in a non-stick pan. Add brussel sprouts and stir to evenly coat pan with olive oil. Let saute for 5min. Add minced garlic to pan and reduce heat to medium. Add a few tablespoons of water, as necessary, to steam-fry brussel sprouts for another 5-10 minutes, or until tender, but firm. Add avocado, salt and paprika. Increase to med-high heat and saute for another few minutes until avocado is heated through, but still holds shape. 

Plate the brussel sprout and avocado hash, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Serve warm.

Mac & Cheese

I've made a few attempts at health-ifying the amazingness that is mac & cheese (whole wheat pasta, low-fat milk & garlic), but there are times when it's just smarter not to mess too much with life staples.

Serves 1-2 (depends how mac & cheese hungry you are...)

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked whole wheat macaroni
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 1/2-3/4 cup low-fat milk (as needed)
• 1 tsp parmesan
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• dash of hot sauce (ie. Franks)
• topping: 
• 1 tsp parmesan
• generous shake of paprika
• salt & pep, to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook macaroni per package instructions. 

Meanwhile, mince 2 cloves of garlic and grate the cheese.

In a medium non-stick pan, melt the margarine over med-high and add minced garlic. Let cook for a few minutes til the garlic turns golden. 

Add 1/2 cup milk, increasing by up to another 1/4 cup, as needed.  Add parmesan, salt, pepper, paprika and hot sauce. Once things start bubbling, reduce to medium heat and add grated cheese. Stir frequently until the cheese melts and the sauce gets smooth.

By this time, the macaroni should be ready.  Add strained pasta to the pan, and mix well to incorporate cheesy sauce.

Sprinkle with toppings, cover with lid, reduce heat to the lowest setting, and let simmer for 5-10 min or until any remaining liquid is absorbed. Enjoy. 

Avocado Toast

Sometimes the odds and ends in your fridge come together as deliciousness. This is one such delight that has me taking care to stock the fridge deliberately with the same ingredients to ensure it all gets into my mouth again soon.

It's a simple and very filling snack... or a light meal. 

Serves 1

• 1 slice of multigrain bread (I love Milton's original healthy multi-grain because it's almost completely fat-free, and there's 3 grams of fiber in each slice!)
• Monterey Jill cheese (which is a reduced fat version of Monterey Jack, or any cheese you have on hand would work)
• 1/2 avocado
• seasoning salt, to taste
• paprika, to taste

Place a slice of bread on a non-stick pan over medium-high heat (no need to oil the pan).  

Meanwhile, thinly slice as much cheese as you like. 

Flip the bread over once the side facing down is lightly toasted.  Place sliced cheese on the toasted side and allow the other side to toast while the cheese melts.  Placing a lid over the pan will speed up the cheese melting.  Reduce heat if it is toasting too quickly. 

Smush up half an avocado with a fork while you wait.  Once the cheese has melted, spread the avocado over top.  Sprinkle generously with seasoning salt and paprika. 

Sweet & Smoky Almonds

It's that time of year again... The scarves and mittens have come out of storage, storefronts are being decorated with snow dust, your eager neighbors have already put up their blinky Christmas lights, and one of my work-moms has brought in tins of her homemade, highly anticipated, candied almonds!  Except THIS year, I moved down south, and left behind my annual almond binge fest :(  Well, change is hard. And during these tough, work-mom-less times, I had to pull myself together and attempt my own batch of festive nuts. With a few taste adjustments, of course, to give these almonds more of a salted, smoky flavor. 

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups whole almonds
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Line a cookie sheet in advance with waxed paper. 

Measure out brown sugar, cinnamon, paprika and salt, and dump into a medium sized pot. Add water. Stir to mix over medium-high heat. 

Bring to a boil. 

Add almonds, increase heat to high, and stir continuously until most of the syrupy mixture has evaporated. Keep stirring, even when your arm gets tired. 

When there is just a little bit of liquid left in the pot, add the white sugar, reduce to low heat, and continue stirring to mix. 

Keep stirring until any liquid left has become a sticky, grainy coating, then remove from heat and pour over the prepared cookie sheet. Separate almonds with a fork. 

Let cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container for storage. 

These also make sweet gifts if you package them in festive tins or clear jars decorated with ribbons.