Sausage & Cannellini Bean Stew

We have been experiencing a deep freeze lately (- 44C with windchill...really?!) and weather like this calls for comfort foods such as stew.  I made this dish with ingredients we had on hand and it is a family favourite!  This is absolutely delicious when served with crusty bread or garlic toast!

SAUSAGE & CANNELINI BEAN STEW

Ingredients:

1 tbsp grapeseed, or EVOO*

6 to 8 large Italian sausages (sweet or hot)

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tsp smoked paprika (sweet paprika would also work well)

1 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tsp freshly ground, black pepper

1 - 680mL jar of passata (strained tomatoes)*

1 cup beef stock

1 - 19 fl oz can of cannellini (white kidney) beans, undrained*

•    Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Place whole sausages in the pot and saute, turning frequently, until evenly browned but not fully cooked.  Remove sausages from pot and set aside on a cutting board.  Slice sausages into 1" chunks.
• Place onions, garlic, and leeks in pot.  Saute until onions are translucent, stirring constantly to prevent garlic burning.
• Add carrots, potatoes, paprika, thyme, bay leaves and pepper.  Saute 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir frequently.
• Add passata, beef stock and beans.  Stir and bring to a boil.  
• Reduce heat to medium low.  Add sausages, stir and cover. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove bay leaves.
• Serve with crusty bread or garlic toast.  ENJOY!

*EVOO = extra virgin olive oil
*Passata should be a pantry staple - it is inexpensive and versatile!
*By not draining the beans, the stew will become thicker.

Kale & Quinoa Rolls

I spied this recipe in "Fresh Juice" magazine and decided to whip it up one evening expecting mixed results from the family.  As expected, India didn't even want to try the kale (she only likes it in chip form), but loved the quinoa.  Devon had 3 rolls and Greg and I finished up the rest!!  This is similar to cabbage rolls and I have pictured the dish without the sauce topping the rolls, so you could see how they look in the baaking dish. This is not only super nutritious, but easy and tasty too!

KALE & QUINOA ROLLS

Ingredients:

12 large leaves of kale

2 tsp grapeseed oil

1 onion, diced

1 cup diced mushrooms (I used porcini as they're "meatier" in texture and have great flavour)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 cup quinoa (rinse to remove the bitter coating called 'saponin')

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 zucchini, diced

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1 large egg, beaten

2 cups no salt added passata di pomodoro (crushed tomatoes)

• Remove the stems from the kale by grasping the base of the stem in one hand and running the thumb and forefinger up the stem.  It will break off where the stem is more tender.  Discard the stems.  Add kale to a large pot of salted, boiling water.  Cover and cook until the leaves are softened - 2 minutes maximum.  Place leaves in a sieve and run under cool water.  Remove leaves and lay out flat to drain on paper towels.  Set aside.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add oil.  Saute onions, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and thyme for 5 minutes (or until onion is softened)  Stir in quinoa.  Add broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in carrot, zucchini, salt and pepper.  Let cool to room temperature.  Stir in egg*
• Preheat oven to 350F.  To assemble the rolls, spoon approximately 1/3 cup of the quinoa mixture onto each kale leaf, just above where the base of the stem would have been.  Fold bottom up over filling, tuck sides in and roll up.  This is quite a bit trickier I found than using cabbage leaves for traditional cabbage rolls.  Take your time!
• Line the base of a 13"x9" baking dish with half of the passata.  Arrange the kale rolls on top of it and cover with the remaining passata.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for one hour.
• Remove and ENJOY!

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This is the SIMPLEST recipe and it is absolutely DELICIOUS!!!  Before I left for work I started this stew and by dinner time we had an amazing dinner that everyone enjoyed.

EASY SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW

Ingredients:

1 lb stewing beef, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 to 2 tbsp oil (preferably grapeseed or coconut, but olive is fine too!)

28 oz can tomatoes*

2 carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1 zucchini diced into 1/2" cubes

4 cups water

1/2 cup red wine

4 beef bouillon cubes**

2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic diced)

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/4 to 1/2 cup couscous (as we don't eat wheat, I used rice pasta, but I am sure quinoa would be lovely too!!)

• In a skillet, heat oil and brown the beef. Brown in batches to allow for air to circulate around the beef pieces so they brown, rather than steam!
• Place all vegetables in the slow cooker and add the beef.  Stir to combine.
• Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl (except couscous) and pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker.
• Cover.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Stir in couscous.  Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
• ENJOY!

*Try for low sodium tomatoes as mine weren't and combined with the bouillon cubes, the stew was on the salty side.
**Homemade stock is best as it generally contains little or no sodium, if using prepared bouillon cubes, opt for low sodium varieties as it isn't impossible to remove the saltiness, but it is more difficult!!

Tuna Broccoli Casserole

This is a nice variation on a tuna noodle casserole - my entire family loved it and it was super easy to put together!

TUNA BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

5 cups uncooked egg noodles (I substituted rice pasta)

1 tsp butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 cups fat free milk (I substituted goat milk)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup sodium-reduced chicken broth

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided (I substituted goat cheddar)

4 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed (I used fresh and steamed them prior to use)

2 cans of drained white tuna

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (I used all rice bread crumbs)

1 tbsp butter melted

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Cook noodles according to the package directions; drain.  Transfer to a 13" x 9" baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skill, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until tender.  In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch, milk and seasonings until smooth; gradually stir into the skillet.  Stir in the broth.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes until thickened.
• Stir in 3/4 cup cheese until melted; stir in broccoli and tuna.  
• Spoon tuna mixture over the noodles; mix well.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Toss bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.
• Bake, covered with tin foil, for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil covering and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
• ENJOY!