Blueberry BBQ Sauce

I had a flat of blueberries delivered to my door last week. That's 12 pints. Almost 10 pounds. Of blueberries.

The longer I blog, the more crazy tales I have of things that are mailed to me. The delivery truck drivers who are assigned to my house probably either think I'm crazy or that the person who lives at my address looks like Jabba the Hutt. Depending on the day, they're probably half right. 

The absolute sweethearts at Wish Farms were kind enough to gift a flat of blueberries to each member of the winning team for the #Hashed competition I mentioned in my Food Wine Conference recap earlier this week. They also shipped a flat of blueberries to the winners of the Blueberry Toss contest I entered, so in a way, I'm glad I didn't win or I would have blueberries coming out the wazoo. {As a side note, though I didn't win, they did include my recipe submission on the Wish Farms site, which I thought was pretty cool!}

As you can imagine, we have all been eating LOTS of blueberries around here. Even Farley. And luckily, Cole has become quite fond of blueberries as a snack, so he's been helping out, too. 

But we still have about 6 pints left after snacking, smoothie-ing and baking all week, so I knew it was time to come up with another recipe for blueberry consumption. With this weekend being Memorial Day Weekend and all, and so many folks taking to their backyards to grill with family and friends, I thought I'd rework an old recipe that could add a special touch to otherwise ordinary grilling.

Blueberry BBQ Sauce! 

Not only is it patriotic to add a touch of blue to your red and white {meats}, but it's also a nice way to sweeten up the day with an unexpected twist that guests will appreciate.

I first posted a version of this recipe 4 years ago {!}, during one of my Tailgate Thursday posts. Back then I used to start by making a strained blueberry syrup, and later adding it to the rest of the ingredients. But that was back when I used to have more time and less children {fury and human} tugging on my apron strings, so I changed things around a bit for this version, and I actually like it better!

My first blueberry bbq sauce attempt back in 2012. 

Blueberries and sauteed onion, garlic and dried herbs make an excellent sweet and savory team, while vinegar and hot sauce give that zip and zing that perks up your taste buds. {I used a combination of Raspberry Wine Vinegar and Chardonnay Vinegar this time, and it really enhanced the berry flavor, but if you don't have those, just use regular red wine vinegar and it should still turn out great!} I blended my sauce in the food processor for a smoother consistency, but if you don't mind some blueberry skins and onion pieces, feel free to keep it chunky.

Whether you slather this sauce on ribs, toss it with chicken wings or dab it onto your burger, you'll be happy you tried something new! Have a safe and happy weekend, and don't forget to pause and remember the brave men and women who gave their lives for our country! 

Blueberry BBQ Sauce

1 pint blueberries
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
2 strips of lemon zest {just peel with a vegetable peeler avoiding the white pith}
4 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, minced

2 large garlic cloves, grated

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup red wine vinegar 

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1. Combine the blueberries, water, sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to simmer until reduced by about half, stopping to smash the berries every now and again. {This takes awhile -- about 15-20 minutes. When it's ready the bubbles will be slower and the liquid will be thickened slightly.} Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, in another saucepan or in a medium pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Sprinkle in sage and thyme, and cook for another minute or so. Stir in vinegar, hot sauce, and the blueberry mixture and bring to a bubble, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for another 6-8 minutes until the mixture has thickened a bit. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

5. Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and blend to desired consistency. {Or don't if you want a chunky sauce.} DO NOT blend boiling hot liquids as they can blow the top right off of your blender!

Pour into a jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: Remember that since this sauce has a higher sugar content, it will burn easily if cooked over high heat. 

Coming Clean: Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Last week was QUITE a week.

The kind of week that leaves you curled up in the fetal position wanting nothing but a sippy cup of wine and a never ending supply of chocolate. {Too bad I've been avoiding both things. Rough.}

Among other things, I thought I lost the blog for about 24 hours. Well, not the blog itself, but the domain.

If you have a blog or business with a website, then you understand what that means.

Losing your domain means that people can no longer reach your site by typing in the web address they are accustomed to visiting. {In my case, www.thekitchenprepblog.com}

Why is that bad?

Well... let's put it this way. Say you owned a sweet little business on 123 Main Street. Over the course of a year, people begin to notice you and stop by often. They tell their friends about you and their friends start to drop by, too. You get business cards made, the paper and local magazines write features about you, and everyone knows that 123 Main Street is your spot.

One morning, you wake up to go to work and discover that your business has been moved to another address. It's still in tact, but no one knows you're there. And when they go to your old location, they're greeted with a sign that says, "For Sale" with no indication that you're still open elsewhere.

That's kind of what happens when you lose your domain.

Normally, it isn't a big deal to renew a domain if it expires, which is what caused this issue to begin with. The problem is, I purchased my domain through Google over a year ago and had no idea how to sign in to the console that contains the renewal button. It was telling me that my username & password were wrong and, unfortunately, there is no direct customer support readily available from Google.

You can imagine how frustrating that is. It should have been a simple process, but there was no one to help me with my problem, leaving me in a bit of a lurch.

In the short span of 24 hours, I developed my own "Stages of Grief".

1. Panic. "What the $@*! is happening?!?!?!!"
2. Worry. "Oh my gosh, how in the world do I fix this quickly?"
3. Ambitiousness. "This isn't a problem. I will just call around until I find someone who can help."
4. Frustration. "What do you mean you can't help me. What do you mean there's no one I can talk to???"
5. Rage. "YOU BETTER FLIPPIN' FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THIS RESOLVED!"
6. Hopelessness. "This is it. This is the death of my blog."
7. Pity. "Why is this happening to me? I've worked sooooo harrrrrrd." :::tears:::
8. Apathy. "Oh well. There went that."
9. Hope. "I have to go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow it will get fixed."
10. Elation. "You mean, Google DOES employ actual LIVE people that can help me?!?!!"

Somehow or another, by the grace of all that is good & holy, I wound up speaking to a man in a department that had nothing to do with my issue who sent me an email with a link to open a support ticket.  In the morning {about an hour before leaving for my first day at a NEW JOB}, I received an email from Google that was sent by a real, live person.

After a while of getting nowhere emailing back and forth, Garreth from Google {who, incidentally, sounded exactly like Officer Rhoades from the movie Bridesmaids} called me. By phone. Can you believe it?  He was able to point me in the right direction as far as resolving my issue but wasn't allowed to tell me what my username & passwords were, leading to the world's most frustrating "Hot/Cold" game.

But, we figured it out. I was able to renew my domain and nearly offered Garreth the rights to our firstborn child.

I wanted to sing. I wanted to dance. I wanted to beat the living &$#@ out of Google for putting me through this.

Meanwhile, we still had to eat.

Have you ever tried cooking when you're really upset about something? It's not fun. Those are the days when the temptation for a drive-thru start to lurk in the corners of your mind.

Don't do it.

Instead, do this. It's not terribly difficult, and you'll feel so much better after you get some sweet & savory goodness in your belly.

Ground turkey shows up a lot in our meal rotation when we're busy because it's so easy to make and the possibilities are endless. You can make turkey Sloppy Joes {which we often make in a variety of ethnicities using different spices & ingredients}, tacos, chilis... you name it.

This time, I made these easy and delightful Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps. Homemade Teriyaki sauce is simple to put together, and it forms the saucy base that gives these their satisfying flavor. You can serve these as lettuce wraps like I did, or over rice or quinoa for a quick meal on even the longest days.

It's so good to be back after my mini-catastrophe. I hope to be at this "address" for a LONG time to come!

Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Sauce adapted from Food Network

For Sauce:
1/2 cup reduced sodium tamari {gluten free soy sauce} or your preferred soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
1 garlic clove, minced or grated
1 lb ground turkey {lean for reduced fat & calories}
5 scallions, thinly sliced {plus extra for garnish if desired}
1 can diced tomatoes, lightly drained {make sure there's no high fructose corn syrup in there!}
1 cup Teriyaki Sauce

1 head bibb, butter, or iceberg lettuce, leaves carefully separated, rinsed, & dried


For Sauce:

1. In a medium sauce pan, whisk together tamari, water, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, and ginger until well combined. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and whisk until completely smooth.

2. Add to sauce pan and whisk until well incorporated. Bring sauce up to a boil, whisking often, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened and bubbly. Set aside. {Makes 1 1/4 cups}

For Turkey:

1.  Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot, and cook until tender and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute more.

2. Add ground turkey meat and stir together with onion mixture, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon or a potato masher {my favorite method for ground meat}. Cook until no longer pink.

3. Add scallions and diced tomatoes and stir together well. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add in 1 cup of the Teriyaki Sauce. Bring to a bubble until thickened. {If the sauce remains too watery, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch & 1 tablespoon water until smooth, then stir in to ground turkey and simmer until thickened.}

4. Spoon into a serving dish and keep warm.

For Serving:

Serve with lettuce leaves to make "wraps", or over rice or quinoa. You can optionally garnish with extra scallions, shredded carrot, peanuts, crispy rice noodles... etc.

North African Turkey Meatballs with Brown Date Rice

For us, eating healthy at home isn't extremely difficult, mostly because we just don't buy or keep things around that would make for temptation. {Except for all those leftover Christmas cookies that we STILL have... good grief, someone come save me from myself!}

The real challenge is making healthy eating exciting. I mean, I want to get giddy about dinner every night as though Homemade Mac & Cheese, pizza, or Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings were on the menu.

But a lot of times what happens is we buy the healthy stuff and -- due to lack of energy, creativity, time, what have you -- the preparation turns out a little lackluster. Boo.

At times like these, I understand why some folks find healthy eating so "blah".

So, yesterday when I was standing in front of the fridge surveying the culinary landscape {and finding that, once again, we didn't do our grocery shopping over the weekend like we should have...}, I picked up a container of ground turkey meat that needed to be used and thought, "I refuse to do something boring with this."

After a little Googling, I stumbled upon a Food Network recipe for these North African Meatballs. Bingo.

I'm lucky that both hubby and I don't mind trying new flavors and cuisines {and that hubby will eat just about anything you tell him is healthy and edible} because it opens up the possibility to try so many new things we don't normally think to make on a regular basis. With a little recipe tweaking, I came out with this amazingly flavorful and hearty dish that fits our lifestyle perfectly.

To suit my own taste, I swapped out the ground beef for ground turkey {since I'm not a red meat eater}, simultaneously making it an overall leaner dish. For hubby {who tries to stay away from gluten, especially Mon - Fri}, I changed the suggestion for a side dish of Couscous to a simple, but jazzed up Brown Date Rice, and used gluten free rolled oats instead of the regular kind for the meatballs. {Which, by the way, was definitely a "whaaat?" moment when I saw them listed as an ingredient. Just go with it!}

The spices used in this dish {coriander, cumin, cinnamon} lend a unique, rich flavor profile that made both the sauce and turkey meatballs stand out from any I've ever made before. And the meatballs themselves? SO incredibly tender from simmering away in the sauce that you won't even know you're eating a leaner meat!

Before you throw in the towel on your healthy New Years resolutions, let your taste buds do a little bit of world travel* and try some new flavors that will get you excited about dinner again. Variety is the spice of life... so get to sprinkling! ;)

*I have no idea how "authentic" this dish is to North African cooking... if you happen to know if this type of thing is common, please let me know! :)

North African Meatballs with Brown Date Rice
Adapted from Melissa D'Arabian, Food Network

For Rice:

1-2 tablespoons oil
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cups water
1/4 cup dried dates, finely chopped

1. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add brown rice and saute lightly until fragrant.

2. Add chicken stock and water and bring to a boil over high. Stir, cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed.

3. Stir well and reduce heat to low. Cover and let cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes.

4. When rice is tender, stir in chopped dates. Keep warm until ready to serve.


For Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 a small onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, grated
1/4 cup olives, pitted & finely chopped {I used black Greek olives, but you could use green as well}
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white wine {or chicken stock}
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic and saute until softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add olives and lemon zest and cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Add white wine or broth, scraping the bottom of the pan, and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, lightly pulse diced tomatoes in blender until desired consistency is reached. {You can skip this step if you'd rather have chunkier sauce.} Stir in blended tomatoes, chicken stock, brown sugar, cayenne, and cinnamon. Cook for 8-10 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened and it has deepened in color.

4. Taste & season with salt and pepper if desired.


For Meatballs:

2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
Pinch of cinnamon
1 pound ground turkey
1/3 cup rolled oats {I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats to keep it GF}, finely ground*
Salt to taste
1-2 tablespoons oil {canola or olive}

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato paste and egg until well mixed. Add coriander, cumin, grated ginger, and cinnamon and whisk until well combined.

2. Add ground turkey, rolled oats, and salt, and mix together until just incorporated.

3. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Using a small cookie scoop {or your hands}, make meatballs about 1 inch in diameter, rolling with wet hands.

4. Place meatballs in pan and brown on all sides. When meatballs are browned, place them in the pan with sauce.

5. Simmer meatballs in sauce to finish cooking for about 20-25 minutes or until sauce is thickened* and meatballs are cooked through and tender.

* To grind oats, pulse oats in a food processor until finely ground.
**If sauce becomes too thick, add a little chicken stock at a time until the right amount of "sauciness" is achieved.

To Serve: Serve with Date Rice. Spoon extra sauce over meatballs and rice. Serve hot.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Bourbon Cream Sauce

When you've been in a relationship with the same person for a while, gift giving can get a little tricky. Mostly because you sort of run out of things that your significant other needs or wants {or, you know, you run out of space to put things!}, and also because if your finances are combined, you're basically buying them things with their own money.

After 8 years of being together, my husband and I have stopped giving "stuff" and tend to go for more "experiential" type gifts - a dinner somewhere we don't usually go, a trip to a place we've been wanting to check out, a date to a fun event, etc. Basically, something we can do and enjoy together, which is much more fun than "stuff" any day.

It just so happens that Steve and I have birthdays that are just days apart... and during the span of 8 days every September, we have a handful of other friends and family members who also celebrate their birthdays. It's a little crazy, to say the least, and my stomach hurts just thinking about all the birthday cake that is consumed during that period of time.

{Needless to say, I think we will be very aware of the month in which we attempt to start a family one day... no more September babies, please!}

When it comes to men, they say "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." And I can't say I've ever seen an example that disproved that theory.

So, when my hubby turned 30 a few days ago, instead of running out to buy him new sports gear, clothes, exercise related items, things that will end up in the closet or garage, etc... I decided to go the gastronomical route instead.

We had a lovely evening in {his birthday fell on a Tuesday}, watched his favorite movie {Gladiator}, and enjoyed a special dinner made just for him. Oh, and the "beer cake" didn't hurt, either.

If you've ever attempted to make your own gnocchi, you know it's a labor of love. And gluten free gnocchi, I've found, is even trickier because the dough doesn't have the binding benefit of wheat flour's gluten to help it stick to itself. In short, it's a royal pain.

But for my sweet hubby's birthday? I'd stand in the kitchen for hours, hand shaping stubborn little pieces of dough that don't want to hold their shape. If that's not love, I don't know what is. ;)

This Gluten Free version of Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Bourbon Cream sauce is adapted from a recipe I found over on Foodista. It's not terribly difficult, exactly, but it is time consuming, so I recommend trying it out on a day that you don't have too many plans {especially if it's your first gnocchi attempt}, and not doing what I did. {i.e. Make them on a busy day, resulting in you running around looking like an episode of Chopped.}

I found that the gluten free flour made them a little gummier than I'd have liked, but the husband ate them happily, so I got over it. :)

You can definitely make these with regular flour and you'll probably have a better result.

So, yes, my husband was thrilled with his birthday gift. But you know what? In the end, every birthday we get to celebrate together is a gift in itself.

{Gluten Free} Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Bourbon Cream Sauce
adapted from Foodista

1 small butternut squash, about 1 lb., {roasted, boiled, or microwaved until tender} scooped from flesh

½ cup Parmesan cheese

a pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

2 eggs

2 cups flour {plus extra for assembly} - I used rice flour to make it GF, but you can use all purpose

3 tablespoons. butter

2 tablespoons. flour - gluten free or all purpose

2 shallots, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, grated

1 to 1/2 cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons bourbon

1/4 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Parsley for garnish, optional

 

Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

 

Make Gnocchi:

 

Place cooked butternut squash pulp in a large food processor or blender. Process until mostly smooth. Add Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and eggs and blend until fully combined and smooth.

 

Pour squash mixture into a large bowl and add the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until flour is incorporated and a wet dough forms. {If the dough is too soft to handle, add a little more flour, just be careful not to add too much or the gnocchi will not turn out light.}

 

Sprinkle a clean counter top or the surface of a large cutting board with flour. Scoop out about 1 cup of dough onto board. With floured hands, lightly roll the dough into a long rope shape. {This is the part where things can get messy if your dough is too wet, but have no fear, it will come together... just be gentle. If it doesn't, incorporate a little more flour a tablespoon at a time until it is able to be rolled.}

 

With your fingers or a knife cut about 1 inch segments from dough. Using the tines of a fork, roll each segment of dough to create the gnocchi's little ridges. Place each gnocchi on a sheet pan. Continue until desired amount of gnocchi is made.

 

For Sauce:

 

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, and saute until tender and fragrant. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over shallots and whisk until a paste forms. Slowly {and carefully... you may want to remove from flame just in case} whisk in bourbon. Add chicken stock, whisking constantly, making sure there are no lumps from the flour. Turn up the heat to medium-high and simmer until slightly thickened. {Like a thinned gravy. If it gets too thick, add a little more stock or water.} Turn heat down to medium-low and whisk in heavy cream. Simmer and keep warm.

 

Cooking Gnocchi:

 

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil, then decrease heat so water is not boiling so violently. Drop half of gnocchi into water carefully. Cook until they begin to float to the top, about 4-5 minutes. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and place directly into pan with sauce, if desired, or plate them and spoon sauce on top. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.

 

Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

 

Serve hot.

 

Honey-Coriander Oven Baked Chicken Wings

Um, yeah. These wings.

Where do I begin with these wings?

I have a funny relationship with chicken wings. Admittedly, they are not my favorite food. But from time to time, I go through periods of craving nothing but wings until I satisfy the urge to eat them. {Especially during football season.}

Normally, that means one evening of college football, greasy buffalo chicken wings, and beer {because you can't have wings without beer}. And truthfully, I can't eat more than 3 or 4 before calling it quits.

That is so not the case with these Honey-Coriander Oven Baked Chicken Wings.

I sort of surprised myself when I ate 6 of them and could have polished off the rest {though I'm glad I didn't because that may have been overkill}. They are that good.

My husband, who has eaten many a chicken wing in his life, claimed that they were the best wings he's ever eaten. We don't mess around with statements like that in this house. No sir, not when we're talking food.

We love these things so much that 1. I didn't take more than these two pictures of them because I was so anxious to dive in. and 2. We made them for dinner after a 4.5 hour drive back up from Key West. {They've got to be pretty simple if you can throw them together even after a long weekend in the Keys.} And I still didn't get any pictures. Gone too fast.

They are sticky, sweet, and subtly spicy. The perfectly baked meat falls off the bone.{I have never "cleaned" a chicken wing down to the bone in my life because it sort of nauseates me, but seriously, these basically clean themselves.} I licked my fingers, which is completely unlike me and sort of a pet peeve. 

In short, these wings are special.

I love that they are thrown in the oven and baked {which has to make them a little bit healthier, right?}, but I am sure they'd be fantastic on the grill as well.

It's a little early to tell, but these may just become The Official Wing of Football Season. We'll see.

Honey-Coriander Oven Baked Chicken Wings
Adapted from The Disney Chick

1 package chicken wings, prepared* {we used organic ones, because.. why not?}
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Seasoning:
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground paprika
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all spices in a small bowl. Toss together until mixed well. Store leftovers in a ziplock bag.


For the Honey-Coriander Wing Sauce:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup honey
Juice of half a lime
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Whisk together soy sauce and cornstarch in a small cup to make a slurry. Add remainder of ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat and stir together.

Add soy sauce mixture to saucepan. Mix well.

Cook, stirring often, until bubbling and thickened. Set aside.


For Wings:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. {Or 500, but things might get a bit smoky... I nearly set off the fire alarm the first time I made these.}

Line a large sheet pan with foil.{You may want to lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray since wings tend to stick.}
Drizzle wings with olive oil and toss to coat. Spread wings out on sheet pan, and sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of seasoning until all wings are well-seasoned {front & back}.

Bake for about 10 minutes, flip, and continue to bake for about 8-10 minutes until wings are browned and cooked through {internal temp of 165 degrees in meatiest part of wing}.

Remove wings from sheet pan, and place in a large bowl. Pour sauce over wings, and gently toss to coat all wings.

Serve hot... and with lots of napkins!

*Never "prepared" chicken wings? No worries! Visit this great visual tutorial for instructions from Fabulous Foods on how to prep them.

{Chicken} Sausage & Pepper Quinoa

I have a confession to make: I am a blog-oholic.


That's right. Because one blog simply wasn't enough, I've gone and started another one, Behind the Pink Curtain, for my little Etsy shop.


And now I find myself conflicted on whether I should spend time blogging about all the things happening in my kitchen OR the projects going on on my coffee table. {a.k.a. "The Craft Studio". Here's a pic of it on my Facebook page.}


If you've never tried blogging before, I'm here to tell you that it can be a whole lot of fun. Especially if you're a wannabe writer like me. It can also take up a whole lot of time, especially if you like to make sense with somewhat coherent sentences {I am not always successful at this} and try to take pretty pictures {I am definitely still working on this part!}.


So, when you start giving yourself so many side-projects {you know, aside from regular life and real work}, you start having to become selective about how you spend your time. And, in my case, the labor intensive recipes and important things like cleaning the house grocery shopping and doing laundry go by the wayside.

Sometimes, that means having to get creative with the ingredients you have in your fridge and pantry... which can get a little scary depending on what's in there.

Except, you know how they say that some of the best inventions came about completely unexpectedly? Well, now I know why.

This was a last minute, completely made up dish that Steve and I both wound up loving quite a bit. And because it's made with chicken sausage instead of pork sausage, and quinoa instead of pasta, you end up with that yumminess you love from classic Sausage and Peppers without all the guilt. Score!

I have been majorly slacking in the photography department lately, so I didn't really take flattering pictures... but I promise you, it tasted much better than it looks.

Anyway, the plan is to work on my time management and share fun/exciting/quality stuff on BOTH blogs... until I lose my mind. ;) But have no fear we have a good headstart of month or two before that actually happens. {I think}

Meanwhile, give this Chicken Sausge & Pepper Quinoa a try and let me know how you like it!

{Chicken} Sausage & Pepper Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon  salt
1/3 {ish} cup of marinara sauce {jarred or homemade}, plus extra for topping
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 chicken sausage links {I used organic Hot Italian}, casings removed & chopped into 1/2 inch bits
1 large green pepper, cut into strips
1 large yellow pepper, cut into strips

Bring 1 1/4 cups of water and salt to a boil in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add rinsed quinoa and cover. Return to a boil, then reduce and simmer until most of the water is absorbed. Stir quinoa, then return lid to pot. Reduce heat to low and allow to steam until all water is absobed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped chicken sausage and allow to brown lightly. Add peppers and saute until tender and golden in parts, about 12-15 minutes {it takes a while, hang in there}.

Stir about 1/3 cup marinara sauce and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning blend into quinoa. {I also had a tiny bit of leftover calzone filling consisting of ricotta, mozzarella, spinach, onions, garlic, and Italian spices that I added in as well.}

To serve, plate quinoa and spoon extra sauce over top if desired. Top with sausage & peppers.

Pick Your "Poison"

I picked Steve up from work yesterday {We've been a one vehicle family for quite some time now. Makes life interesting, but saves a lot of dough.}, and on our brief drive home he asked me what I made for dinner. I told him I made fish with homemade hoisin sauce.

"Poison sauce??", I hear him say over the wind coming through the open windows.

Oh, good grief.

I may get annoyed when he leaves his socks in random places around the house; forgets to put things away after he makes himself a snack; eats something I had intentions of photographing for the blog... but I certainly have no intention of serving him "Poison Sauce" for dinner. Silly husband.

I served up this flavorful fish with some roasted asparagus, and a super quick side of gluten free noodles, sauteed onion & broccoli that I tossed with the leftover hoisin sauce.

 The only "killer" quality about this meal is how simple it is to throw together. Let's keep it that way.



Hoisin Glazed Fish & Noodles
Sauce recipe barely adapted from Food Network

2-4 fillets of your favorite fish, defrosted {I used Haddock because that's what I bought on sale}

1/4 cup soy sauce {we use gluten free}

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Noodles:

rice noodles {I use linguine cut gluten free noodles}

1/2 a white onion, sliced

1 small head of broccoli, chopped into bite size florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to broil {approx 500 degrees}. Line a small sheet pan with foil and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, hot sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and pepper. Whisk together until combined thoroughly. Set aside.

Place defrosted fish fillets in a shallow dish, and pour half of hoisin sauce over fish. Allow to marinate for 8-10 minutes while you make the noodles. Remove fillets from sauce and place on prepared pan. Brush fish with the sauce it was sitting in and discard the rest.

Broil for 7-9 minutes {depending on the thickness of fish} or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. {Be careful not to overcook. I do it all the time.}

Noodles:

For the noodles, bring a salted pot of water to a boil. Add noodles {I only used half a package}, and cook according to package directions until al dente.

Meanwhile, add olive oil to a medium pan over medium high heat. Add onions and broccoli. Cook until onion is translucent and broccoli is tender crisp. Set aside or keep on low heat.

When noodles are cooked, drain water and add noodles to broccoli and onion. Stir in remaining hoisin sauce and toss gently to coat vegetables and noodles.