Pearl Couscous with Chicken Sausage, Kale and Tomato Aioli

Lately, I haven’t had a lot of time to work on my blog.  Just last night I made split pea soup with cabbage and it turned out great.  I didn’t have the proper lighting or my camera though to capture it.  I’m working on getting better quality photos of my dishes and I haven’t been as motivated with what I’m currently using.  Any who, back to the blog……….

A few nights back I threw together a dish that I will definitely make over and over.   Pearl Couscous with Chicken Sausage, Kale and Tomato Aioli.  The combination of the roasted tomato aioli, smokiness of the chicken sausage and slightly bitterness of the kale, went perfectly over the soft pasta-liked couscous.

Ingredients: 

1 box Pearl Couscous

2 cups chopped kale

Half of a small sweet onion-chopped

I package pre-cooked chicken sausage-cut into ½ inch pieces

Drizzle of olive oil

Roasted Tomato Aioli:

2 plum tomatoes

1 teaspoon red chili paste

¾ cup tablespoons mayonnaise

2 garlic cloves

Drizzle of olive oil

Half of a small sweet onion-chopped

Dash of paprika

Splash of white wine vinegar

Dash of salt

For the Roasted Tomato Aioli:

Start by firing up the grill to medium heat.   Rinse tomatoes, cut in half and remove the seeds.  Place in tin foil with a little drizzle of olive oil and close tomatoes in foil.  Grill for about 10 to 12 minutes and let cool.  While your tomatoes are grilling, sauté onions and garlic with a little olive oil for about 4 minutes.  Transfer into food processor and add the tomatoes and remaining ingredients.  Puree until smooth.   

For the Couscous Mixture:

Follow cooking instructions from the couscous box.  As the couscous is cooking, sauté the chopped onion for 2 minutes with another drizzle of olive oil.   Add in the kale and chicken sausage and cook for about 4 more minutes.  When the couscous is done, add in the kale, sausage and onion mixture to it.  Plate your dish and drizzle the roasted tomato aioli over top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nutritional Bonus:

Kale has become quite popular these days and for good reason.  It is packed with nutrients and has even been linked to aide in the prevention of certain cancers.  It’s high in calcium, vitamin C and beta carotene.  I’ve used it for smoothies, side dishes, salads and I’m excited to make my own kale chips soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Potato Bisque (with a kick)

What you will need :

1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk

1 shallot-minced with a garlic press

3 sweet potatoes-peeled and steamed

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup manchego cheese-shredded

¼ cup canned green chilies

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Peel sweet potatoes, then steam in a pressure cooker or stove top  with 1 cup of water until soft.

  While the sweet potatoes are cooking, dice ingredients and add shallots and olive oil to a soup pot.  Saute shallots for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.  (if you are using fresh green chilies, saute them with the shallots)

 Once the sweet potatoes are cooled, dice and add to the pot.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the remaining ingredients.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, and then simmer for 15 minutes.  Transfer the contents to a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.   You may need to add more almond milk if the soup is too thick.  Place the blended soup back in the pot if the soup temperature isn’t to your satisfaction. 

Garnish with dried cilantro and shredded manchego.

Pancetta Wrapped Scallops topped with Mint Pesto-served over a Mozzarella White Wine Risotto

 

 

Cook risotto according to packaging.  Remove lid and add white wine, cheese and herb-ed butter.

 Wrap scallops with pancetta and broil for 6 minutes.  Top risotto with carrots and fresh pesto.

 

Ingredients:

4 large sea scallops

1 cup risotto

2 slices of Parma ham   

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon herbed butter

¼ cup white wine

1 small julienned carrot

Salt and pepper to taste

For the pesto:

½ cup  fresh mint

1/3 cup pine nuts

2 garlic cloves

½ basil fresh basil

¼ cup Romano cheese

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Puree in food processor

 

 

 

 

Chicken and Swiss Roll-ups

Ingredients:

Boston lettuce

Swiss cheese

Salsa chicken cold cuts

Cucumber

Ranch

Pepper Jelly

Give it some spice and it’s twice as nice!  I recently visited an art festival where I sampled various jellies.  The one I ended up purchasing was called “Hot Damn” and it’s made with Trinidad Scorpion Peppers.  Guinness Book of World Records named it the “hottest pepper in the world” in March 2011.  I can’t get enough of this stuff.  I mix it with mayo, ranch, put it in my eggs and I’ve even glazed meatballs with it.  Today, I spiced up some chicken and swiss roll ups for lunch.  If you are interested in purchasing  this jelly visit their website at www.mypepperjelly.com

Assemble and roll up.  Use toothpick to hold each one in place.

Pierogi Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict is what I usually order when out for breakfast.  It can be rather time consuming at home and the timing and skill must be perfect.  I didn’t have any bread on hand this particular morning, so I had to improvise.  With a box of frozen pierogies in the freezer, I replaced the english muffin and created something even better. For the eggs and the sauce, I followed the advice and video demonstration of Fabio Viviani (top chef winner) (the link is below)   I had no idea how to properly make poached eggs or the hollandaise sauce, so I found this video quite helpful. 

Ingredients:

4 Pierogies- I used feta and spinach

4 large eggs

2tsp red wine vinegar

2tbsp salted butter, softened

Cook pierogies according to package, follow the recipe for traditional Eggs Benedict, garnish with green onions.

Enjoy!

http://screen.yahoo.com/easy-eggs-benedict-30920094.html

Eggs Benedict recipe was found above

Meatballs Marinara with Broiled Artichokes

What you will need for this recipe:

1 pound ground beef (I went with a lean ground)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 egg-beaten
Fresh parsley-chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon garlic powder
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together and form into 12 balls.  Place on broiler pan 4 to 6 inches from heat.  Broil meatballs for 7 minutes, then flip over for another 3 to 4.  I used one large pan and broiled the artichokes and meatballs together to save time and energy.

Artichokes

Use fresh or jarred for this recipe.  I used a mixing bowl and tossed them in olive oil and bacon crumbles.  Sprinkle a little salt over top before serving.
 

For the marinara:  You could use your favorite jarred sauce, but the fresh stuff is always the best.

8oz can plum tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic-chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

Fresh basil chopped

Salt and pepper

Endive and Arugula Salad with Grilled Skirt Steak

1 bag Arugula

2 Belgian Endives

1 can hearts of palm

10 to 12 pearl onions

Skirt Steak

½ cup dried cherries

1 cup feta cheese

Cherry tomatoes-cut in half

Balsamic dressing

 

Marinate steak in 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.

While grill is heating, skewer onions and hearts of palm together and drizzle with olive oil.

Grill each skewer for 3 minutes on each side.  I also grill the steak for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare.  Assemble remaining items on a plate and lightly toss once all ingredients are added.  Remove steak and skewers from the grill and place over the top and around your salad.