What's for Dinner? Whole Grain Veggie Fussili with Turkey Sausage.

This is one of my favourite pasta dishes. My mother-in-law originally gave me this recipe but I've substituted a few ingredients to make it a bit more holistic. It definitly is a heavy meal so I suggest you have a big green salad with it to help digest and so you feel less guilty.

It's delicious and I'm sure you won't mind the cheat. Bon appetit!

Whole Grain Veggie Fussili with Turkey Sausage

1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
5 Spicy turkey sausage, crumbled (the real stuff with no fillers. I like http://www.butcherbynature.com/)
1 small Red onion
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Bay leaves
1 tbsp Fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tbsp Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
pinch Crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup Dry red wine
1 can Whole tomatoes
1/2 cup Heavy cream
1 cup Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 pound Whole grain veggie fussili

1) Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until fat is rendered and the juice has evaporated. (8 to 10 minutes)

2) Add onion, garlic, sage, rosemary, bay leaves and crushed pepper flakes and cook, stirring occaionally, until onion is golden brown. (20 minutes)

3) Drain off all but 2 tbsp pf fat from skillet. Turn heat to high, add wine and boil until it evaporates. (3 to 5 minutes)

4) Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce thickens. (30 to 40 minutes). Remove bay leaves.

5) Add cream and half the cheese to sauce and stir together. Taste. Season if necessary with salt and pepper.

6) In the meantime cook pasta. Drain pasta, put back in skillet and toss with sauce. Serve and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Serves 4.

What's for Dinner? Italian Chicken in Envelopes, Quinoa Salad with Beans and Pralines Salad

Italian Chicken in Envelopes

Italian Chicken in Envelopes

What you'll need:

4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

1 medium cooking Onion, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 large Tomato, chopped 

2 stalks Celery, chopped

1 tsp dried Oregano

10 fresh Basil leaves, cut into ribbons

4 Bay Leaves

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp freshly Ground Black Pepper

What to do:

Cut 4 (10-inch) pieces of aluminum foil; grease with 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place Chicken Breast in center of each piece of foil.

Combine: onion, garlic, tomatoes, celery, olive oil, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well. 

Spoon mixture over each Chicken Breast.

Add one Bay Leave to each envelope.

Fold foil into neat sealed envelopes.

Place on cookie sheet.

 Bake at 425F for 40 minutes

Serves 4 (you can serve from envelopes!)

Quinoa Salad with Beans

Quinoa Salad with Beans

What you'll need:

 1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 cup Green Beans, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces

 1 can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

 2 Green Onions, finely chopped

1/2 English Cucumber, diced

2 Tbsp fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar

3 Tbsp. fresh Lemon Juice

How to cook Quinoa:

In a saucepan bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup Quinoa, bring back to a boil, cover, cook over medium heat for 12 minutes or until Quinoa has absorbed all the water. Remove from heat, fluff with fork, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Yields about 4 cups.

The Salad:

Steam Green Beans for 2 minutes. Soak in ice water bath and drain well. Set aside.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large salad bowl or casserole dish with lid (I use this....no clean-up involved. Leftovers straight into refrigerator)

Refrigerate salad for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 4 (leftovers can be kept in refrigerator for 3 days! Hello, lunch!)

Pralines Salad

What you'll need:

1 cup Stevia

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 Tbsp Sunflower Oil

1 cup Whole Raw Pecans

To make the Pralines:

Combine: 1/2 cup of the sugar, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Heat sunflower oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir in pecans and remaining 1/2 cup sugar.

Continue to saute, stirring frequently until the sugar has caramelized and the pecans turn golden brown.

Remove from heat and toss the pecans in the spice mixture until completely covered. 

Sift pecans with hand strainer.

Turn onto baking sheet to cool.

You can serve the nuts warm or store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. 

To make the Salad:

Combine:

8 cups combination of Leafy Green Lettuce, Kale, Spinach and Arugula

1 cup sliced fresh Strawberries

1 small Red Onion, finely sliced

1/2 cup soft Goat Cheese, crumbled

1 cup Pralines (see above recipe)

Dressing:

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp Honey or Agave Nectar

Salt and Pepper to taste