Andouille and arugula penne pasta

I like saying arugula; it's just a funny word. Thankfully it's also a nice leafy green that has a tad of spice to it, which adds color and flavor to this tangy Italian dish that we recently discovered and added to our list of favorites. I found the original recipe, which calls for chicken andouille sausage, on allrecipes.com, but following is my own version of this yummy Mediterranean meal.

• 8 oz. penne pasta (we use Meijer brand whole wheat organic)
• 4 links spicy chicken andouille sausage (we used organic spinach chicken sausage from Arbor Farms)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 1/3 cup pesto (I make this from scratch with organic Basil, parsley, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan and Romano)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 15 oz. cannellini beans, undrained (or aobut 1 cup beans rehydrated)
• 3 cups arugula leaves, torn
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• salt & pepper to taste
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Prepare 8oz of penne pasta as directed by package

Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet over medium heat cook 4 links of chicken sausage. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then slice into bite sized pieces. (In our case the sausages were actually pre-cooked, so we skipped this step completely and just sliced the sausages and added them with the garlic in the next step)

After removing the sausage add 1-2T oil to the pan as necessary and cook garlic until browned (remember this is also where we added our pre-cooked sausages). Add sausage back in (if not already done so) along with pesto and white wine and cook until heated.  Add cannellini beans and arugula. Cook and stir until heated through and arugula is wilted. Just before serving add tomatoes and stir until warmed, then toss with pasta and top with goat cheese to serve. Yum!

Southern Sunday

With freezing nights upon us and a garden full of green tomatoes, something had to be done.  So on Sunday we treated ourselves to some southern cooking, organic style (and almost entirely sans processed foods).  We have our own favorite chili recipe, one that uses Italian sausage as well as ground beef, and BBQ baked beans as well as the standard red kindneys.  It also calls for chipotle - yum.  Of course one can't have chilli without corn bread, and we found a great recipe for a southern corn bake makeover in our Healthy Cooking magazine that called for creamed corn, so I did an online search and came up with a homemade creamed corn recipe in order to avoid the canned variety.  Lastly, we come to those green tomatoes, which we coated in a homemeade crunchy breading made from organic corn flakes and mock fried them briefly in only a small amount of oil before putting them in the oven to heat them the rest of the way.  We also trimmed fat and calories by using reduced fat or fat free items whenever available, and kept it healthier by using all organic items (except for the Italian sausage, which I have yet to find in organic form).

Chili:  Saute 1 large onion (chopped) with 3T garlic cloves (minced) in a tablespoon of oil.  Add 1T chili powder, 1/2T chipotle powder, 2T paprika, 1T cumin, 4t oregano, Kosher salt, and pepper to taste, then add 1lb lean ground beaf and 1lb Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink.  Add ~60oz of crushed tomatoes, ~16oz baked beans, and ~15oz red kidney beans.  Simmer for one hour, and serve with cheese, sour cream, and green onion toppings.

Creamed corn:  Melt 2T butter in a small saucepan.  Add 2C corn (fresh or frozen) and 1/2C heavy cream (if using frozen corn add 1/2t sugar) and cook over medium heat, stirring until the cream thickens.

Corn Bake (makeover):  In a large bowl combine 1C flour, 1C cornmeal, 3T sugar, 1/2t salt, and 1/2t baking soda.  In a separate bowl whisk together 1 egg, 1C sour cream, 1/4C unsweetened applesauce, and 1/4C melted butter, then stir in the 2C creamed corn (see above), and add to dry ingredients.  Mix just until moistened and transfer to a 13x9 baking dish to bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so.

Semi Fried Green Tomatoes:  In a shallow bowl combine 1/2C flour, 1t sugar, 1t salt, and 1/4t cayenne pepper.  In another whisk together 1 egg and a dash of milk.  In a third place 1C cornflake crumbs.  Heat 4t canola oil over medium heat.  Dip 1/2inch thick green tomato slices into flour, then egg, then cornflakes and fry, four slices at a time, for ~2 minutes per side, or until golden brown, then remove to an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in oven at 350 for ~5 minutes or until tender.

Happy Southern eating!