spaghetti squash w/ chicken sausage & curry pumpkin kale sauce

oh yeah, that's right, sausage...as in chicken apple sausage.  this is super healthy for you...and perfect for staying in on those crisp, autumn nights.  i was experimenting in the kitchen (as usual), trying to come up w/ a new dish for dinner that evening for my man.  i totally lucked out by the way, in that my guy loves eating all the same kinds of food as me, in addition to his willingness to try anything i create.  he's a keeper.  big grin!

so needless to say this dish was a hit, and i will no doubt be making it again sometime soon.  i swear i could eat spaghetti squash almost every day.

recipe: serves 3 (my man had lunch the next day)

roasted veggies ingredients
brussel sprouts
cauliflower
evoo
curry powder
s & p

roast for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees, tossing occasionally.  you can also roast the spaghetti squash, halved, along w/ the other veggies, but let it cool before trying to scrape it out.

cook 2 chicken apple sausages, sliced, in a skillet over med heat just to warm through (we get the pre-cooked ones).  toss the squash and sausages together, and add it s & p and roasted garlic...or whatever you prefer.  i add roasted garlic to everything!

add the roasted veggies next.  then we'll get to the sauce...

sauce ingredients

kale (i used frozen from trader joe's)
canned pumpkin
shallot
roasted garlic
half & half
1% milk
evoo
curry powder
s & p



saute shallots in evoo until softened.  add roasted garlic, pumpkin and kale.  stir until combined, and then add half & half (just about 1/4 cup) and some milk.  season the sauce w/ curry powder and s & p, and let sauce thicken over low-med heat.  pour over the squash and sausage combo and mix gently.  top w/ a hard, white cheese such as pecorino.  you won't need much, but it really adds to the dish!

baby kale & persimmon salad w/ roquefort & honey toasted almonds

i'm literally finishing up w/ eating this salad as i write this post.  this is also about the time that i'm wishing i would have made just a teeny bit more....sad face.  oh well, i'm glad i tried it out.  i modified this recipe from one i'd seen recently on a different food blog but didn't stray too far from the basics.  it's pretty much amazing.  you should try it.  as in like, right now.



recipe: serves 1

salad ingredients
baby kale, chard & spinach mix (trader joe's)
fresh squirt of lemon juice
fuyu persimmon
sliced honey toasted almonds
roquefort
s & p

dressing ingredients
plain non-fat greek yogurt
evoo
fresh garlic
passionfruit wasabi mustard (from kauai...don't worry if you don't have this in your fridge)
worcestershire sauce
fresh lemon juice
s & p

mix all the dressing ingredients, starting w/ the yogurt and evoo.  place all the salad ingredients in a big bowl, add dressing and toss gently.

eat!

it's not a pancake...it's coconut-encrusted french toast w/ mixed berries, bananas & real maple syrup

i skipped my avocado toast this morning...weird.  instead, i opted for a little something on the sweeter side.  i used another piece of that really seedy bread i picked up from the farmer's market, "drenched" it w/ a whole egg (my hubby would approve...he loves "eggy" french toast!) and coasted it w/ unsweetened coconut.  then, into the pan it went, and while that little magic show was underway, there was another act happening on the back burner.  i had a small skillet filled w/ frozen mixed berries, cranked up on medium heat, beginning to thaw and transform into a simple berry compote.  i then peeled a banana, grabbed the real maple syrup out from the fridge and started plating my piece of french toast.  top it all off w/ a sprinkle of chia seeds and call it good!

recipe: serves 1

ingredients
1 piece of bread (i toasted it a bit b/c i didn't set it out overnight...this wasn't a "planned" breakfast)
egg wash = 1 whole egg, splash of milk, vanilla, nutmeg & cinnamon
unsweetened coconut (for coating the toast)
frozen mixed berries (i added cardamom to these 1/2 through the cooking process)
1 banana
real maple syrup
chia seeds

make the toast in one skillet, the mixed berry compote in the other, slice the banana and start building your plate from the toast up!

simple, scrumptious, sunday breakfast

well, it doesn't really get much easier than this one.  i roasted a variety of veggies the other day and had a ton of leftovers.  i "love" leftover roasted anything, and so this morning, i was really craving the yam portion of my leftovers (w/ yellow mustard for dipping).  therefore, i fried up an egg, toasted a piece of some yummy bread i bought at the farmer's market yesterday, added some avocado and viola!  it's so easy...i think i could prepare this one in my sleep...zzzz...

guinness-braised bratwursts w/ apple onion sauerkraut & spicy yam fries

it was the perfect start to a fall morning...grabbing a coffee and heading to the local farmer's market w/ my oregon girl.  we immediately visit our "sausage guy" (who wasn't there, unfortunately), but fortunately, his sausages were.  after considerable thought, we collectively decided to go with some nice, original bratwursts.  cool, now off to grab a baguette from the bakery to make a nice home for our bratwursts, and we were almost done w/ our shopping...until we saw these gorgeous yellow and red heirloom tomatoes.  we bought one of each, a pineapple pie tomato (the yellow one) and a celebrity (the red one)...caprese salad perhaps?!  we were already looking forward to our game day grub!  we were preparing a "big" game day...i'm talking oregon state (ranked 11th) versus stanford (ranked 13th).  

it went a little something along these lines...we decided to start w/ a fresh, caprese salad and a couple of cold brews.

recipe: serves 2

caprese salad ingredients

2 big heirloom tomatoes

fresh mozzarella

pesto

fresh basil (cut w/ kitchen shears to avoid bruising)

evoo

s & p

cut tomatoes and fresh mozzarella in chunks.  

add remaining ingredients and toss gently.  bon appetite!

next up, brats and yams...talk about 2 happy girls!

yam fries ingredients (you'll want to make these 1st b/c they take the longest)
2 yams
cayenne pepper
paprika
evoo
s & p
fresh garlic, minced
ketchup + hot sauce = the perfect dipping sauce for spicy yam fries

cut yams lengthwise into fries.  toss w/ remaining ingredients and bake @ 375 degrees for 45 min or until desired crispiness.  add garlic just before serving. (this is the way my oregon girl does it!)

brat & kraut ingredients
2 bratwursts
guinness beer
baguette
cabbage
granny smith apple
sweet onion
fresh garlic
brown sugar
dry mustard
apple cider vinegar (we used cinnamon-pear flavored vinegar from michigan...whoa)
evoo
s & p

prepare kraut first:
saute cabbage, apple, onion and garlic in evvo until tender.  add other ingredients, incorporating each w/ every addition.  turn on low and cover to allow thickening to occur.

braise brats in guinness for 8-10 minutes.  grill until slightly charred along w/ the baguettes (this takes only a few minutes).

fix up a plate and grab an ice-cold cold brew...

sadly, the beavers lost...but we still had a grand time...mucho mucho love for oregon!

p.s. there may have been a shot (or 2) of pendleton whiskey consumed...