Category Archives: Dinners

Meatballs in Marinara Sauce – My Valentine’s Day Dinner

15 Sunday Feb 2015

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I have to admit that I did not cook this dinner!

My husband did! He cooked this wonderful Valentine’s dinner for me- now that is love! ♥

So I thought I would share this wonderful recipe he made for us. It is simple and delicious!

I was delighted when Chuck said he was going to cook dinner as his Valentine’s Day present for me. I’m quite happy to step away from the kitchen and let someone else take over! This isn’t the first time he has made me dinner, but since I like to cook he doesn’t have to make dinner too often. Usually on special occasions  like Valentine’s day, my birthday, or Mother’s Day he will pull a good meal together. So, today he chose to make Meatballs in Marinara Sauce in the crockpot. This came to creation based on the ingredients we had on hand. It is very cold and snowy here in the Northeast, so a good rib-sticking meal served with warm, buttered, crusty bread and red wine was a meal we both were craving!

Starting early in the afternoon so this would have time to simmer in the crockpot, he began with making the meatballs. He mixed almost 3 lbs of hamburger with a pack of onion soup mix, 2 eggs, water, panko bread crumbs, oregano, and lots of fresh shredded parmesan cheese. He mixed everything together and formed them into about 3″ meatballs. He baked them in the oven for about 40 minutes. Baking makes them cook evenly and eliminates the mess of cooking them on the stovetop. They get nicely brown this way. No turning is necessary.

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Next he added the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, and a little bit of red wine to the crockpot. Because the tomatoes were diced and the onion was chunky, he wanted a smoother sauce, so it was time to use a real kitchen tool – the immersion blender! Guys love to use tools! Even when they are cooking! Using the immersion blender smooths out the sauce to a nice consistency.

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Then it was time to add the meatballs. In they go, and now we wait while all the flavors blend together over the next few hours. The smell of these simmering meatballs in this garlicky tomato sauce is heavenly!! You just want to dunk a big chunk of crusty bread right into the sauce!

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On this Valentine’s Day, this verse comes to mind:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians  13:4-7

As we love one another these are good virtues to strive towards. Although they are not always easy to follow all the time, we know that God’s grace and mercy will always be there for us when we fail.  And God’s word is always there to show us how to love – Jesus tells us how throughout all the Gospels and it is also written throughout Paul’s, letters. When we remember to be patient and kind, put others before ourselves, say we are sorry, forgive and forget  to mention a few, then we will have hope and protection of our loving God.-a love that surpasses all love!

I hope you all had a blessed Valentine’s Day with the ones you love!

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This tasted amazing! He served it on top of a bed of spaghetti with LOTS of fresh grated parmesan cheese! Served with a lovely salad and crusty bread, this was love on a plate! And to top it off, he got me flowers! I would say it was a very memorable Valentine’s Day and I’m very blessed to have such a thoughtful and loving husband!

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Blessings,

Lori

 

Meatballs in Marina Sauce

2 1/2 – 3 lbs ground beef

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

1 package of onion soup mix (you could use 1/2 onion finely chopped)

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely chopped

1/2 -3/4 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all ingredients together and form into 3″ round meatballs

3. Place in a shallow baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Chuck’s Easy Marinara Sauce

3 – 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped

1/2 – 3/4 cup of red wine

1 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Mix all together and simmer in the crock pot for 5-6 hours on low with the meatballs. Remove bay leaf before serving.

2. Serve over your favorite pasta with a salad and bread! Enjoy!

*Note – this sauce can also be made on top of the stove. Simmer on low for several hours. You can also used the crushed tomatoes and then eliminate the need to blend them smooth.

 

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Nutritious Roasted Vegetables

12 Monday Jan 2015

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Baby, it’s cold outside! It is definitely January here in the northeast! I just want to stay inside and turn on the oven! Any little bit of extra heat helps! However, as much as I would love to be baking cookies and cakes and pies, I’m trying to stay with the “healthy” theme for the new year, and increase the vitamins and anti-oxidants in my diet, Less flour, sugar, and butter, and more fruits and vegetables! So, I decided to roast several different vegetables together. Since I can’t grill them, which is my favorite way, I chose to roast them. Roasting brings out the sweetness and flavor of the vegetable – they slowly carmelize and get slightly crispy, tasting much better than steaming or microwaving. If you are not a big vegetable fan, you should try roasting them for a rich and sweeter flavor! I used asparagus, grape tomatoes, red onions, and cauliflower for this batch. They are so colorful together!

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This recipe requires no measuring or mixing. It is super easy! Just cut up some of your favorite vegetables, coat with oil and seasonings and put in the oven. Easy and nutritious! You can’t beat that! They are a perfect side for roasted chicken or a beef or pork roast. Another idea is to mix them with pasta, or toss on your salad. And if you have any leftovers, you can toss them into the food processor with chicken broth and have roasted vegetable soup! That’s what I did with my leftovers.

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One thing about the seasoning I would like to share  – I have discovered “Himalayan Salt”. This was found at my favorite local olive oil and vinegar store http://www.oliveoiletc.com/.

What is Himalayan Salt and isn’t salt somewhat bad for you?? Certainly too much salt or sodium can be bad for you, especially if you have high  blood pressure or a condition that requires you to be on a low sodium diet. Himalayan salt is actually lower in sodium than regular salt. It is pink in color (from the iron oxide) and loaded with extra minerals! It is all natural and mined in the salt mines of Pakistan near the Himalayan mountains.  It is high in additional minerals such as sulphate, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, just to mention a few. Regular table salt is stripped of these minerals. If you would like to know more about it, here is a link with the additional information and benefits –

http://fitlife.tv/10-amazing-benefits-of-pink-himalayan-salt/

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“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”  Colossians 4:6

Not only should we be aware of the nutrients we are putting in our bodies, but also the words that we speak. I like that this verse says “seasoned with salt” – salt is a flavor enhancer, so we should “enhance” our conversations with grace and compassion. Kind words are received much easier than unkind words, which can create bitterness and hurtfulness. As we work on getting healthy with our food choices, we can start to get healthy spiritually with the conversations we are having with others, using our words to build each up and encourage one another.

Grace and peace,

Lori

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Roasted Vegetables

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut up your favorite vegetables –  ex: carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, asparagus, peppers, eggplant, etc.

Lightly coat with olive oil and place on a baking sheet or baking dish (my dish was stoneware so it was non-stick, but you could line your pan with foil for easy cleanup).

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and seasonings of your choice – parsley, basil, marjoram, or rosemary, for example.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, halfway through, turn them over with a spatula and roast for an additional 25-30 minutes,  or until tender.

Enjoy!

Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup

02 Tuesday Dec 2014

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I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends and enjoyed a delicious meal together!

Now that it is has passed, if you were the lucky one to cook the big bird – what do you do with the turkey leftovers??

At our house, after we’ve eaten the next day meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy, and made a few turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce, I usually make soup!  There is still a lot of turkey left on the carcass – you would be surprised! Don’t throw it away! There are about 2-3 more additional meals you can create with what is left. Grab your biggest pot and I will show you how.

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Toss the remaining picked-apart bird into a big pot and fill with water – enough to just about cover the whole carcass. Bring it to a boil and cook on a simmer for about 2 hours. You can add an onion (with the skin, this gives is color), a few carrots, and some celery pieces plus the leaves, a bay leaf, salt and pepper. I brined my turkey this year with salt and seasonings so I didn’t have to add anything additional to the water. There was already so much flavor in the bones. See the rich color of the broth below?

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After a few hours of simmering, I turned it off and let it cool. Then I removed all the bones onto a platter and strained the remaining broth into another big pot. This made about 8 quarts of broth. I cooled the broth in the refrigerator, and separated the turkey meat from all the bones. I ended up with an entire plate piled high of turkey meat – mostly dark but some white too! This was A LOT! You could make ANY recipe that called for cooked chicken and substitute it with the cooked turkey – such as turkey enchiladas, turkey pot pies, turkey stir fry, turkey and dumplings, turkey and stuffing casserole, etc,!!

When I make my soup, I sauté the onions, celery, and carrots and ground thyme in butter and olive oil until they are soft. Because this is a creamy soup, I added a few tablespoons of flour to help thicken it. I add the broth and bring it to a boil. When it is boiling, I add the noodles until they are cooked – about 8 minutes. Then add the turkey and the cream. This recipe is the ultimate in comfort soup! The savory thyme mixed with the richness of the cream is heavenly. As my son describes it, “it is diabolical!” I made a batch of creamy chicken noodle soup a few weeks prior and it was such a hit that I couldn’t make the traditional turkey noodle soup without making it the “creamy” version. As the days are consistently getting colder, this soup will surely warm you to the bones!

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“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with grateful hearts”  Colossians 3:16

As we move from this season of thanksgiving into the Advent season, I’m trying to remember to always be grateful for all that the Lord has blessed me with. It is so easy to oversee many of the blessings in our lives, and even easier to see what we don’t have! I am so grateful for what and WHO God has provided in my life! But I need to be mindful and make myself aware each day. So, I’m going to write down 3 things everyday until Christmas day of what or who I am grateful for. Will you join me?

As St. Paul told the Colossians, we should fill our lives with the Word of our Lord and all his wisdom! And sing psalms and songs to Him with grateful hearts!

May all the richness of His Word and the richness of this creamy turkey noodle soup fill you up and make you grateful!

Blessings,

~Lori

Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp ground thyme

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp. flour

4 qts of turkey stock (if you didn’t make your own stock, you can use 4-32oz of store bought turkey or chicken broth, I promise, I won’t be upset with you!)

1/2 bag of 12oz egg noodles

2 cups of cooked and chopped/shredded turkey meat

1/2 pint of heavy cream

Directions:

Saute onions, carrots, and celery in the butter and olive oil until soft. Add thyme, salt, pepper and the flour. Mix ingredients around, it should resemble a paste. Slowly add and whisk the turkey broth to incorporate with the flour paste, and bring to a boil. It should thicken up a little bit. When the broth is boiling, add the noodles and boil for about 8-10 minutes. Turn the heat down so it is no longer boiling. Add the cooked turkey and cream. Mix together. Serve with a salad and warm bread!

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Cranberry-Sage Sausage Stuffing

24 Monday Nov 2014

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The stuffing steals the show! This is my favorite side dish at Thanksgiving. It is practically a meal within itself – the meat, the bread, the veggies, what more do you need? We have actually had the sausage stuffing as a main dish in the past, served with a side salad. It really can stand alone. But for Thanksgiving dinner, this dish accompanies the rest of the meal very well. Especially when it is topped with the turkey gravy! Oh my, I can hardly wait for the big day!

I wait all year for this fabulous feast! Not eating turkey all the months prior, just so I can build up anticipation for this special day. And it is very much appreciated!

A few years ago, my son, Shane, started the tradition of making sausage stuffing for our Thanksgiving meal . Everyone loved it, so the tradition carries on. I modified his recipe just a bit by adding fresh sage and dried cranberries. I really like the sweet with the savory together. It is a perfect combination.

This recipe is really very simple. You must give it a try.

Start with browning the sausage in a skillet. When completely cooked through, remove from pan onto a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the extra fat. Set aside.

Chop the onions, celery, and sage.

Sauté the onions and celery in butter. Add the chopped fresh sage. This is an amazing aroma!

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Add the cranberries and chicken broth, and bring to a boil.

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Mix the cubed stuffing mix and sausage together in a large bowl.

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Add the onions, celery, sage, chicken broth, and cranberries mixture to the stuffing and sausage and toss until blended.

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Place into a 9×13 casserole dish. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until completely heated through.

This recipe is so moist and flavorful! I made this in advance for Thanksgiving day, but we ate half of it as soon as it came out of the oven, because it smelled AMAZING and tasted so delicious! So, I guess I will be making a second batch. It is THAT good!

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“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.”   Psalm 136:1

Thanksgiving is a time to gather around the table with loved ones and friends, remember our blessings, and share all that we are thankful for. A family tradition at our Thanksgiving dinner is we individually proclaim what we are thankful for. Of course there are many things to be thankful for in our lives, such as our families and friends, good health, our jobs, delicious food, and lovely homes, etc. We are SO blessed! But we must always remember to thank our God, whom has made ALL these things possible! He is the Creator of everything. And He IS good! Psalm 136 reminds us of all the things the Lord has done and why we should give him thanks. The more you are aware of God’s presence in your life, the more you realize his amazing grace and his good blessings! Therefore, he deserves all the thanks and the glory!

This year I am certainly thankful for my wonderful family and friends, my good health, my job, my home, and delicious food, and for YOU, for taking time to read this! But I am most thankful for my God for providing them all! I hope you can see all the good things in your life, and realize that ultimately, God has provided them! Give Him all the thanks on this Thanksgiving and He will bless you!

I wish you all a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!

~Lori

Cranberry-Sage Sausage Stuffing

1 medium onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 stick of butter

2 1/2 – 3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 16oz tube ground pork breakfast sausage – regular flavor or sage flavored

1 12oz bag of cubed stuffing

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown sausage in a skillet. Drain onto a paper towel covered plate. Set aside.

Chop the onions and celery.

Melt butter in a skillet. Add chopped onions and celery. Saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped sage, salt, dried cranberries. Pour the chicken broth into the mixture. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Put the cubed stuffing mix into a large mixing bowl. Add the sausage. Mix.

Pour the chicken broth mixture into the stuffing and sausage. Mix until well blended.

Spread into a greased 9×13 casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

 

 

Nourishing – Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

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Butternut Squash is soooo good for you!

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This wonderful winter squash is so nutrious! Being a member of the gourd family, it’s cousins are pumpkins, melons, and cucumbers. Because of it’s orange color, the most obvious nutrient is Vitamin A, and this veggie is loaded with it! It is also rich in B complex vitamins, such as B6, thiamine, and niacin, and high in minerals such as iron, zinc, and potassium. It is heart healthy, low in fat, high in fiber and high in anti-oxidants! What is there not to like!

I love butternut squash and have been making it a lot lately. You may be intimidated by its unusual shape and just don’t quite know what to do with it. I can understand that. It took me awhile to buy one and prepare it until I saw how to do it on a cooking show. I find the easiest way is to cut it in half lengthwise. It can be tough to cut through, especially at the stem (you may want to cut that off first), so be careful. A little force will be necessary.  Make sure you are working on a solid surface so it won’t slip. After you slice it in half,  scoop out the seeds (save them to roast later, they are packed full of protein and mono-unsaturated fats – the good ones!). Lay the halves flesh side down in a baking dish with enough water to cover the bottom. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until it is soft when pierced with a fork. (The picture shows the squash flipped over after baking, plus I made an extra one!)

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While your squash is cooling, cut up and onion and sauté in butter and oil until soft – about 10 mins on medium low. Add 1 clove of garlic minced. Saute a minute longer.

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Once the butternut squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the squash from its shell into your food processor. A blender may work if it is large enough. Add the onions and garlic, chicken broth, chopped fresh sage, dried ground thyme, salt, and nutmeg. Pulse until creamy and incorporated. Add the heavy cream, blend until velvety smooth. Pour into your cooked pasta, add parmesan cheese, and mix well. This sauce is so velvety and creamy, you will want to put it on everything.

“This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your soul” Proverbs 3:8

This dish will certainly bring health and nourishment to your body and soul!

I spent this past weekend at a conference with one of my favorite pastors. What an incredible experience it was! I felt completely fed with the Lord’s Word through wonderful teachings, worship, and singing! It was SO nourishing!

Just like our body needs food, our soul needs food as well! The healthier it is the better we feel! We are what we eat, we are what we read, we are what we sing…

The Word of our Lord and Savior is as essential to our soul as food is to our bodies. Choosing foods that are high in anti-oxidants, good vitamins and minerals, and low in fat, etc, is an important part of our daily lives and benefits our bodies. Are we as concerned about what we are choosing to feed our minds? Feeling better and more energized is not only a result of healthy eating, and it is also a result of filling our minds with positive, inspiring, God-filled literature and information. His Word gives us hope and fills us with love and joy which makes us feel GOOD. You know, like how you feel after drinking a vitamin-packed green smoothie! Your feel good!  So much of what we read and see on TV today is not benefitting us. We need to choose powerful and uplifting information or choose not to engage in it at all – it is kind of like saying “no” to those French fries!

The Word of our Lord and his teachings will bring health and nourishment to your soul, and this Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce will bring the same to your body! Be filled with them both!

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Enjoy!

Blessings,

Lori

 

Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce

1 whole roasted butternut squash*

2 tbsp. butter and a tsp olive oil

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

1 cup of chicken broth

1 tbsp. fresh chopped sage

1 tsp ground thyme

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

1 lb cooked whole wheat  penne pasta (you can use another type of pasta, but I would gradually add the pasta to the sauce so you don’t have more pasta then sauce)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Start a pot of water for the pasta.

Cut butternut squash in half, remove seeds (save for later*) and place flesh side down in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is soft in the neck part when pierced with a fork. When done, remove from oven, flip them over and let them cool. Chop onion. Heat butter and a little olive oil in the skillet. Add onions and cook over medium low heat until soft and translucent. Add minced or pressed garlic. Cook for another minute. Remove from heat.

When the water is boiling, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Scoop the butternut squash out of their shells and into the food processor or bowl/pot.

I used a food processor, but you could use a regular blender (may have to do it in batches), immersion blender, or mixer.

Either in the food processor or large bowl/pot, add the butternut squash, onion and garlic mixture, chicken broth, sage, thyme, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until well blended and smooth. Add the heavy cream and blend until velvety smooth. Thin the sauce with additional chicken broth, if necessary. The consistency should be pourable.

Pour the sauce over the pasta, add parmesan cheese, and toss together. Top with additional parmesan cheese!

*Tip – you may be able to find fresh butternut squash cut up in your produce section, just boil until soft. I have also seen it frozen, which can easily be microwaved. I’m not sure the equivalent to one fresh butternut squash, but my guess would be 2 packages.

*To roast butternut squash seeds, wash them in a colander to help remove the strings and pat dry on a towel. Preheat oven to 300. On a baking sheet, add a tablespoon of oil and the seeds. Sprinkle with salt. Mix around so seeds are coated. Spread seeds evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes – until they are just starting to get brown. Remove and cool.

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Chicken Tortilla Casserole with Black Beans and Tomatoes

27 Monday Oct 2014

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What’s for dinner??? I had no idea what to make for dinner this evening. So I had to scan the pantry and refrigerator to see what I could pull together. This is what I had in my refrigerator- cooked chicken breasts, Monterey Pepper Jack cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 can of Rotel tomatoes, (the other half I added to my guacamole dip on Sunday), cilantro, and red chili peppers, which were graciously donated from my friend. In my pantry I had cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of tomato soups, and black, red and white beans, barely any noodles, and a few opened bags of tortilla chips. Hmmm… I’m thinking something with a Mexican flare… soooo I grabbed the chicken, cheese, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, beans, and tomatoes, cilantro and chili peppers and turned it into this yummy casserole!

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I love it when things aren’t planned yet they still come together. I don’t mean that I always like it when things are unplanned, but when they aren’t planned and they come together – that’s a good thing! It is soo much easier to come home from a day at work and prepare a planned meal. But that was not the case tonight. These ingredients were not purchased to make this particular dish, but with an open mind the recipe idea presented itself.

As I was gathering the ingredients, it made me think about how many things in life aren’t always planned, but they work out unknowingly, by the grace of God. We like our lives to be planned, predictable, and orderly –  we get a sense of security and trust from this. When unplanned events happen to us, it can shake our faith. That is when we need to remember this verse and let God work in our lives.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” Proverbs 3:5-6

Last night, my bible study group discussed the verse above because the topic was about trusting God. It can be very difficult to trust God when we can’t see where he is leading us. Many unplanned and unexpected things happen in this life. But if we can be patient and trust in the Lord, the pieces will eventually come together. There isn’t always a set “recipe” in life, in fact most of our lives are much like that of a thrown together casserole! A concoction of many different people and unplanned circumstances, which in time becomes a unique and beloved story!

I would love to hear about some of the unplanned dinners you created, or unplanned events that came together for you! Please share!

If you make this recipe, let me know how it turned out!

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Chicken Tortilla Casserole With Black Beans and Tomatoes

1/2 bag of tortilla chips

2 1/2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 can of Original Rotel tomatoes with Green Chilis (the Original can be spicy – there is a Mild if you prefer or 1/2 can of diced tomatoes would work too!)

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup sour cream

8oz of shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalepenos (Cheddar or plain Monterey Jack would be good too!)

Cilantro and Red Chili Peppers (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Break up the tortilla chips into small pieces in the casserole dish as the bottom layer. In a mixing bowl, mix together the chicken, cream of chicken soup, black beans, tomatoes, milk, and sour cream. Spread on top of the chips. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes uncovered until bubbly and slightly browned. Remove from oven. Sprinkle the cilantro and peppers on top.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Lori

 

Soul Warming

30 Tuesday Sep 2014

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It is that time of year again! Soup time!

Just like a warm bowl of soup feels on a cool fall day – warming our soul, so does the Word of God! It fills us up and warms us on the inside.

Some days I need something to warm my soul – soup does that for me. It is comforting. I love ALL kinds of soup! Not only do I enjoy eating them, but I enjoy making them too. Chopping all kinds of vegetables and adding special spices and seasonings, this blending and simmering in anticipation of a savory delight!

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Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good! How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

When my heart feels restless and I’m not feeling quite content with life, I need to feed my soul with God’s word, His truths, and His promises. His is my rock and my salvation in which I take refuge in. By reading His Word, I am reassured, because everything in this life is temporary – all situations and circumstances will not last forever… BUT the love of our Lord will last for eternity! Now that is soul warming!

Lentil Soup with Spicy Sausage

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

tablespoon of olive oil

2 cans (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes with garlic, onion, and oregano

1 can (14.5 oz) of beef broth

1/2 bag of lentils

1 link of cooked spicy italian sausage – chopped small

Saute the carrots, celery, and onions in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add tomatoes and lentils, beef broth, and chopped sausage. Bring to a boil for about 30 minutes, until lentils get soft. Simmer for an additional 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add extra water or broth, if necessary, to get the right soup consistency.

Enjoy the soup!

 

Welcome Fall!

11 Friday Oct 2013

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The air is turning brisk, days are shorter, and the leaves are starting to change! My favorite time of year! It is time for comfort food and crockpots, soups and stews, breads and baked goods!

It is always a challenge not to overindulge in all the goodness of these foods…

Being mindful of healthy and satisfying meals, I created this tasty, spicy dish to help warm you up!

Spicy Sausage with Beans and Veggies

1 lb Italian sausage – hot or mild, pork or turkey

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion sliced

1 red pepper, slice

1 green pepper, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

salt and pepper to season

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Start with cooking the sausage in a large skillet, when sausage is no longer pink in the middle and is nice and brown on the outside, remove it from the skillet. Slice into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside. In the same pan, add a little oil and sauté onions, green peppers, red peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and any other vegetable you prefer! When vegetables are just crisp, not too soft, add a rinsed and drained can of cannellini beans and the sliced sausage back to the skillet. Gently toss together. Season with salt and pepper and you have a healthy, delicious, easy, and SPICY dinner! Of course if you don’t like the spicy sausage you can substitute it with the mild! Serve this with bread (I like the ciabatta bread with lots of sweet cream butter! oops there goes the healthy!) rice, or your favorite pasta. However, it really is satisfying without anything else!

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Tasteful Blessings is meant to not only create a physical appetite, but a spiritual one as well – so that we may feel satisfied and have something to nourish our body and souls. It’s all wonderfully connected, thanks to our amazing creator!

I hope you will join me as we journey together enjoying good food and the good Word!

In the book of John chapter 6 verse 35, Jesus declares “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (NIV)

Just as bread sustains us, Jesus and the Word of God sustains us as well!

Blessings to you all!

~Lori