New Years Dish

This recipe is a combination of two different recipes I found. I liked something about each of them so I decided to just use both! It is a must have for cold nights or when you are just in need of a little comfort food!! Enjoy :)

Smoked Sausage and Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:
1 lb smoked sausage or kielbasa
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne or less if you prefer
1 tsp minced garlic
5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves
3 tsp fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried
8 cups chicken stock (I've used half water before)
1 lb black eyed peas *following package directions for soaking and rinsing

In a large pot, over medium heat, cook sausage for 5 mins. Stir in onions, salt, cayenne, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley. Saute for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, cook and rinsed peas. Bring to simmer and cook covered for about an 1 1/2 hours or until peas are tender. Discard bay leaves and springs stems if used. Serve with corn muffins of course :)

*Dried black eyed peas should be covered and soaked in water for about an hour, then drain and rinse peas before use.

Butternut Squash Chili

In case you have never cooked with butternut squash before, here are some facts to know its nutritional benefits. Butternut squash is low in fat and delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune system. The folate content adds yet another boost to its heart-healthy reputation and helps guard against brain and spinal-cord-related birth defects such as spina bifida. Like the hue of a carrot, butternut squash has and orange tent. This indicates high levels of carotenoids, shown to protect against heart disease. It boast very high levels of beta-carotene which your body automatically converts into Vitamin A. And if that weren't enough, butternut squash is high in antioxidant- rich Vitamin C and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent to reduce the risk of inflammatory related diseases, such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Beef and Butternut Squash Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14.5-ounce) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, chopped

1 (16-ounce) can chili beans

1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 cup frozen or 1 can corn kernels


Cook ground beef with bell pepper, onion, and garlic in dutch oven (large pot). Drain cooked beef mixture (If there is alot of fat to drain after cooking) and set aside for later. Add the rest of ingredients to dutch oven and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and add cooked beef mixture to the pot. Cook uncovered for another 15 minutes or until butternut squash is tender and sauce is thick. Serve with jiffy corn muffins!

Tortilla Soup

I was actually searching for something to go with the leftover goat cheese we had in our fridge when I came upon this recipe from a blog 101cookbooks.com that I follow. It was wonderful! I did, however, make my own changes to it. This is an easy recipe that you can switch up ingredients to your liking. Hope you enjoy this delicious soup!

Ingredients:
10 red cherry tomatoes
olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 lb cooked chicken, shredded
2 tsp lime juice
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
**1 avocado (or goat cheese for topping)
*Corn Tortillas
more olive oil


Start by halving the cherry tomatoes. Toss them in a large Dutch oven or pot with a splash of olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper and cook on medium heat until tomatoes are soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Take end of spoon and crush tomatoes to break apart as they cook. Add the cumin, coriander, cayenne, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked chicken, lime juice and broth. Cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes, and then turn to simmer.

*Cut corn tortillas into strips. Place the strips into heated cast iron skillet with about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Toss periodically until completely Crunchy (carefully watch so not to burn) and remove from skillet onto plate lined with paper towel.  Peel and chop the avocado. Top with tortilla strips, avocado and a sprinkle of cilantro on each serving.

**Substitute the avocado for crumbled goat cheese for a delicious topping as well

Ahhh Cabbage Soup.. What could be better?

Ingredients:

½ lb cooked chicken

½ head shredded cabbage, rinsed

½ of onion, chopped

1 cup of chopped or shredded carrots

1 cup peeled, chopped or diced potatoes (the smaller, the faster they cook)

1 cup diced celery

1 bay leaf

½ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup honey

1 can white beans, drained

32 oz chicken broth *

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for drizzling

Chives and sour cream for topping

In a large pot, add cabbage, onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, bay leaf, apple cider vinegar, honey, beans, and broth. Salt and pepper as you like. Cover and bring to a boil. Once pot comes to a boil, uncover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add the cooked chicken in the last 5 mins of cooking just to heat through. Drizzle olive oil on each serving and top with fresh chives and sour cream if you desire!

*If you prefer to cook your own chicken, use the broth from your pot used. You may also desire to cook the carrots, potatoes and celery at the same time as the chicken. Once the chicken is done, turn off the heat; remove chicken from pot, and shred chicken once cooled. Add the rest of the ingredients: bay leaf cider vinegar, honey, beans, cabbage and simmer for 5 mins. Add chicken back to pot as above.

Family Favorite

This was a specialty in our family that my mom would whip together. Although the ingredients seem strange, I would say.. Don't knock it until you try it!

Mom's Taco Salad

Ingredients:

2 bunches or bags of romaine lettuce

1 lb ground beef

Taco seasoning

2 cups Mexican style cheese

1/2 bag crushed Doritos

1 chopped tomato

1 cup mayo

½ cup ketchup

Cook ground beef with seasoning until browned, then drain. Combine in large mixing bowl: lettuce, beef, cheese, Doritos, tomato. In a separate small bowl, mix mayo and ketchup together, toss mixture throughout salad to coat… If you must, you can use Thousand Island or a French dressing ;)   Eat up!

Trudeau Melamine Mixing Bowls, Set of 3