sausage

Fresh Spring Shrimp and Sausage Fajitas with Asparagus

Looking for a delicious, healthy and fast dinner? With social distancing and a stay at home order in effect I have been giving myself time to slow down and actually cook instead of tossing everything together fast and not enjoying the process. For me cooking is a stress reliever so after helping my kids with their schooling it is a welcome task.

I understand you may have to plan ahead for this meal as not everyone keeps shrimp in their freezer for quick meals like I do, but trust me it is worth it!

The sausage I prefer is the grassfed beef Kiolbasa, they have it at Costco. (I think Kiolbasa is the name of the company). It has a really nice snap to the casing and is rather garlicky, in the good way.

The shrimp is 16-20 count, Jumbo Shrimp that has been deveined but not peeled. I prefer the frozen shrimp they sell at Aldi, Fremont Fish Market. They are wild caught and are not pumped with anything so they have a great texture and the price is pretty awesome too! Currently the jumbo shrimp is $6.49 for a 12oz package which is a super sweet deal!

I use avocado oil in my higher heat cooking as it has a high smoke point while also being super healthy for you. Virgin coconut oil would be great too, but you will notice a hint of coconut flavor…hey this may not be a bad thing…

I only had mini sweet peppers on hand so I just cut the top off to remove the stem and seeds then sliced them in half. Alternately a yellow and a red bell pepper seeded, stemmed and sliced would be perfect.

So on to the process…as I mentioned I didn’t have to devein my shrimp (remove the vein that runs down the back) as they came that way. I cook them with the shell on as it lends a lot of flavor, but if you prefer peeled or that’s what you have on hand, no worries!

Asparagus is in season right now, and it’s super easy to work with. Just be sure to cut the tough ends off as they are impossible to chew.

Preparing everything is super fast as all that’s left is slicing a red onion, slicing the sausage into 1/2″ rounds, crushing about 5 garlic cloves, cutting the asparagus in half and slicing a red and a yellow bell pepper. I keep a jar of the spice blend already mixed up in my cupboard for everyday use, please see recipe for that below.

Heat a large sauté pan (11″ minimum) over medium high heat. When your pan is hot drizzle in about 2 tablespoons avocado oil. Swirl to coat the bottom of your pan. Brown the sausage slices along with the peppers and onions in the pan for about 5 minutes then add the garlic. The sausage are fully cooked so you just want to add a bit more flavor by adding a little caramelization (not sure if that’s a word…). Be sure to stir everything up to keep the garlic from burning, and cook for about 2 minutes.

Now add the shrimp and asparagus along with a tablespoon of fajita seasoning, continuing to sauté for about a minute being sure to coat everything in the deliciousness that is in the pan. Grab a pan lid and a couple tablespoons of water. Add the water to the pan, cover and let the shrimp and asparagus steam for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp are pink.

Serve on tortillas or coconut wraps (paleo/keto option) along with some fresh sliced jalapeños and fresh cilantro (optional) Enjoy!!

Fajita seasoning recipe:

1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Onion powder
1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Lime Zest
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder (optional, but awesome)
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons thyme
Small pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Pepper (adjust for your tastes)
1 pinch cayenne (optional)

Helpful hints:

If you don’t have a large sauté pan brown the sausage first, remove it, sauté the onions and peppers next adding the garlic and spice blend a minute or so before they are done. Don’t crowd the pan as you will end up steaming everything instead of cooking it in oil.

If you are interested in a new pan, I love the new NUCU line that is being produced by Vollrath Company. They are based in Wisconsin. The stainless pans are beautiful and rival (in my opinion conquer) some of the well known brands out there. If you live near me, you can buy them at Relish Kitchen Store.

Autumn Butternut Squash Crust Quiche with Sausage and Kale

Ahh fall, the crunchy leaves under our feet, the beautiful colors, pumpkin spice…

Sorry to interrupt your daydream but…

I love making quiche as a make ahead meal, it is a great option for a busy night when there is not time to cook. It’s also a great grab and go breakfast!

For the crust of this quiche I used butternut squash, but you can use any sturdy vegetable. Think sweet potato, any winter squash, even regular potatoes or beets.

To get started slice the bulb shaped end off butternut squash. Peel both parts of the squash, and remove seeds. Slice the long part of the squash into thin rounds, the bottom half into thin slices. Toss them with salt, pepper and a touch of oil and lay them in the bottom of a pie pan or skillet being sure to overlap them to form the crust. If there are holes don’t worry, the eggs we add later will help it stay together.

Roast the crust in the oven until squash softens and begins to brown. Set aside.

For the filling, remove the casings and brown your chicken sausage in a bit of oil. Alternately you can use cut up breakfast sausage, or fully cooked chicken sausage, just brown it in a pan to get some extra flavor.

While your meat is browning throw in the other vegetables, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.

Once the sausage is browned and onions, peppers and kale are softened remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Crack the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Now add the milk and beat the eggs for a minute or so. Stir in cheese if you are using it (a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast would be a great sub for the cheese if you can’t have it) then add in the sausage mixture. Pour the whole works into your squash crust and bake until eggs are set, about 20-25 minutes.

My kids even enjoy these quiche so I usually don’t mess around with a single batch, instead I double the recipe and use a casserole pan. Just be sure to adjust baking time accordingly (5 minutes more is the most I have added). Please forgive my pictures it seems my quiche always gets hit before I can snap a proper shot.

You can make this ahead and serve at room temperature, straight out of the oven or refrigerator, or reheated. It’s a great grab and go breakfast or a nice make ahead dinner.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Sausage Risotto with Browned Butter Sage Leaves

Though I know we are all dreading the weather changing, there are a few perks to our cooler fall-like temperatures, one of them is the infamous pumpkin. Thank you to my friends at the Garden of Weedin for the beautiful pie pumpkins that helped inspire this dish.

As I was preparing to make a crock pot full of chili and a grill full of chicken wings to enjoy this fall-ish sunday afternoon with a couple of our good friends, my husband through down the challenge. Chicken and chili…come on, that sounds way too easy! You can do better! Hmmm, well anyone who knows me knows I do not take a challenge lightly, especially a food challenge. So I glanced around the kitchen, caught sight of my beautiful orange pumpkins and the aha moment…consider this challenge accepted.

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One Pot Chicken, Summer Vegetable and Brown Rice Sauté

This is one of my all time favorite ways to make dinner when I am on a limited time schedule! You know when your kids have to be run to an after school activity right around dinner time, dance, swim class, parkour…fill in the blank, I am sure all parents out there know exactly what I am talking about. You open the fridge to find leftover chicken (or burgers, steak, sausage…), some leftover rice or other grain, and a mixed grouping of veggies. Sure you could just reheat everything, use 3 pans, and watch your families face when you declare leftovers for dinner…or you can sauté some garlic and onions, toss in some diced fresh veggies, add your leftover meat, your leftover rice and voila a truly beautiful one pot wonder is served.

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