Classic Sausage Gumbo

When I lived in Charlotte with my friend Katie Jo Smith, she would make soups or stews every Sunday afternoon for the upcoming week's worth of lunches (and even freeze some, too!). This gumbo was a recipe she used, and it is very hearty!

I forgot to take a picture, but it makes about 6-8 servings.


Classic Sausage Gumbo

1/3 c flour
1/4 c oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
8-10 oz smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 14 oz cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen okra
1 tsp file powder (I used some Tumeric and Paprika)
3 cup hot cooked rice


In a saucepan or 4-qt dutch oven, combine flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to med. low, cook 15 minutes or until roux is dark reddish brown.

Stir in onion, celery, green pepper and garlic. Cook over med. heat for 3-5 minutes or just until veggies are crisp tender.

Stir in broth, sausage, okra and bay leaves. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves and stir in file powder. Serve in bowls with rice.

Love,
Lynn

White Bean Chili

White Chicken Chili

1/2 pound dried navy beans, picked over (I like to make sure I wash these real good also)
1 large onion, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half (Heavy cream is also really delicious!)
1 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
Two 4-ounce cans whole mild green chilies, drained and chopped (I like to roast my own peppers better, such as chilies or jalapenios, pealed and chopped)
5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds), cooked and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I like my chicken shredded better than chopped -- I boil the chicken and then shred it with my hands, plus that way you can reserve the chicken broth)
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup sour cream (or more!)

In a large kettle soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches overnight. Drain beans in a colander and return to kettle with cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cook beans at a bare simmer until tender, about 1 hour, and drain in colander.

In a skillet cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter over moderate heat until softened.In a 6- to 8-quart heavy kettle melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Stir in onion and gradually add broth and half-and-half, whisking constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt, and white pepper. Add beans, chilies, chicken, and Monterey Jack and cook mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, 20 minutes. Stir sour cream into chili. Garnish chili with coriander and serve with salsa.


So yummy -- especially if you serve it with some cheddar cornbread! Recipe coureousy of epicurious.com. This was a big hit at the party I threw a few weeks ago. Love, Rach

Apple Upside-Down Pie

Yummy and pretty easy to make. It also has two layers of crust, which is definitely a perk for me. I know I should be ashamed of using a store-bought pie crust with a mom like mine, but oh well. Someday I'll master the pie crust like Suzy.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 (15 0z) package refrigerated piecrusts, divided

4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 large Jonagold apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375. Stir together first 3 ingredients, and spread onto bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Fit 1 piecrust over pecan mixture in pie plate, allowing excess crust to hang over sides.

2. Stir together Granny Smith apples and next 5 ingredients. Spoon mixture into crust, packing tightly and mounding in center. Place remaining piecrust over filling; press both crusts together, fold edges under, and crimp. Place pie on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape.

3. Bake at 375 on lower oven rack 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly, crust is golden brown, and apples are tender when pierced with a long wooden pick through slit in crust. Shield pie with foil after 50 minutes, if necessary, to prevent excessive browning. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Place a serving plater over top of pie; invert pie onto serving plate. Remove pie plate, and replace any remaining pecans in pie plate on top of pie. Let cool completely (about 1 hour).

*Recipe from Southern Living Magazine

- Sarah

Hummus

This is a great, healthy dip for raw vegetables, pita bites and/or crackers.

Hummus

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 190z can chickpeas (drained but reserve liquid)

4 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp Tahini

1/2-1tsp salt

reserved chickpea liquid

Dash cumin

Pour garlic, chickpeas (no liquid), lemon juice, and tahini in a blender/chopper. Blend until creamy. In batches, add salt, cumin and reserved chickpea liquid until reached the desired consistency/taste. (Taste gets stronger after refigerated).

Enjoy!

~Lynn

Tomato Mozzarella Pasta

This meal is light and delicious with two kind of tomatoes.

Ingredients

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

course salt and ground pepper

12 ounces penne rigate (used campanelle because I'm not a big penne fan)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pint grape tomatoes

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 cup snipped chives

Preparation

1. If your fresh mozzarella is very soft, place chopped pieces in freezer when you begin making the meal (I followed this direction, but found that it really did make the mozzarella cold when the rest of the meal was hot, so I wouldn't leave it in the freezer too long.

2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.

3. In pasta pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and pasta water. Cook until grape tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes.

4. Add pasta, mozzarella, and chives to pot, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

YUM!

*Recipe from Everyday Food Issue 62

- Sarah

Squash Casserole

This recipe is so good. It's not exactly low fat after I added the Ritz crackers and all the butter, but it's the best squash casserole I've ever had.

Ingredients

2 pounds yellow squash, cut in 3/4-inch cubes

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt1

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

water

7 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crumbled

Preparation

Place the squash, onion, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add a small amount of water. Cover and cook the squash until tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary. Drain the squash and onions; return to the pan and stir in 4 tablespoons of butter. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to your taste. Mix in milk and cheese.

Mix Ritz crumbles with 3 tablespoons of melted butter.

Grease a 9 x 13ish size baking dish well. Pour squash mixture into casserole dish. Layer Ritz crumbles over top of casserole. Bake at 350°, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the squash casserole is bubbly. Serve hot. Serves 4 to 6.

*Recipe adapted from http://southernfood.about.com/od/summersquash/r/bl90814g.htm

-Sarah

Honey Rosemary Carrots

This is a tasty way to cook carrots.

Ingredients

1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 3×1/4×1/4-inch sticks
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoons honey (such as heather, chestnut, or wildflower)

Preparation

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and add carrots. Sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Sauté until carrots are beginning to brown at edges, about 12 minutes. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill if making ahead. Add butter, rosemary, and honey to vegetables. Toss over medium heat until heated through and vegetables are glazed, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired.

*recipe courtesy of http://eatmakeread.com/2009/06/23/sauteed-carrots-with-honey-rosemary/

-Sarah