1 Bento #244 - Spring Ribbons & Flowers

First day of Spring bento!  I had some lemon pepper pappardelle noodles left over from dinner last night (sans tuna and sauce) and I tossed them with a little extra-virgin olive oil and diced sweet Italian sausage.  On top are raw sugar snap peas and a few carrot "flowers."

Fresh blackberries with leaf picks.

Root veggie chips - these are delish!!  They are from Trader Joe's and made from sweet potato, taro, batata and parsnip pieces.  Just the right amount of salt, too.

Bento #244 - Lemon pepper pappardelle noodles, sweet Italian sausage, sugar snap peas, carrots, blackberries and root chips.  Snack - Nectarine.

7 Zuppa Toscana

Today E and I rushed out with just 30 minutes to spare to get our Farmers Market Basket.  I haven't gotten one in a while, but a call went out on their Facebook page that reminded me, and so away we went!  I got my small organic which had broccoli, Braeburn apples, kiwi, bananas, tomato, avocado, lettuce, sweet potatoes, carrots and red kale.

What I normally do when I get my basket is go through it and plan out what I'm going to do with each item, and the first thing I thought of when I saw the red kale was to make chips like I did back in March with rainbow chard.  However, when I tasted it, it's really kind of delicate, a little spicy and tender.  Spicy...kale...Zuppa Toscana.  For SURE.

You'll need:

1 lb spicy Italian sausage
4 Russet potatoes, washed and UNpeeled
1 large onion, chopped
8 slices thick cut smoked bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
2-3 cups kale (or arugula), sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
olive oil for sauteeing

Begin by heating a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in the pot.

Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl, and cook the onions and bacon together until the bacon starts getting crispy.

While the onion and bacon are cooking, cut up your potatoes.  Cut them in half, and then half again and slice into 1/4" pieces.

Add the sausage back to the pot, and the potatoes, garlic and pepper.

Pour in your chicken broth and plain water.  I normally use regular canned organic broth, but recently I discovered Better Than Bouillon brand organic chicken base at Costco.  It's fantastic and tastes amazing.  I mixed the appropriate amount of base with 4 cups of boiling water.

Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to simmer/low for at least an hour.  The potatoes should be tender.  Test the broth for seasoning, and add more salt if needed.  This was the only time I added salt, and I used 1 tsp.

When you are close to being ready to eat, add the kale to the pot.

Stir in until it's wilted down.  If some of the ribbons seem too long, use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip them right in the pot.

I thought that the soup was ready to eat as-is, but I wanted to add a little cream to make it authentic.

Ladies and gentlemen.  This soup is definitely being added to my permanent recipe rotation.  It is unbelievably flavorful, and just spicy enough to leave a nice warmth in your mouth, but not too much so that you're constantly reaching for your drink.  Even my little one loved it!

And dare I say, it tastes even better than a certain famous chain restaurant's Zuppa Toscana!

Printable:

Zuppa Toscana

You'll need:


1 lb spicy Italian sausage
4 Russet potatoes, washed and UNpeeled
1 large onion, chopped
8 slices thick cut smoked bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
2-3 cups kale (or arugula), sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
olive oil for sauteeing


Begin by heating a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in the pot.


Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl, and cook the onions and bacon together until the bacon starts getting crispy.


While the onion and bacon are cooking, cut up your potatoes. Cut them in half, and then half again and slice into 1/4" pieces.


Add the sausage back to the pot, and the potatoes, garlic and pepper.


Pour in your chicken broth and plain water.


Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to simmer/low for at least an hour. The potatoes should be tender. Test the broth for seasoning, and add more salt if needed.


When you are close to being ready to eat, add the kale to the pot.


Stir in until it's wilted down. If some of the ribbons seem too long, use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip them right in the pot.


Add cream, simmer and serve.

3 Pork Shepherd's Pie

Being a good English[-American] girl, is it any wonder that I love a hearty shepherd's pie?  My recipe is a spin on the classic, using fresh pork sausages instead of lamb, but you can certainly use whatever protein you like, including ground beef or even venison. (Edit: Technically a 'shepherd's' pie is only made with lamb.  If you use any other protein it's called a 'cottage' pie, but for simplicity and popularity's sake, we're using the 'shepherd's' moniker.) This recipe is also gluten-free!

My recipe makes one large pie for 6-8, or two small for 3-4 each.

You'll need:

2 lbs fresh pork sausages, casings removed (I used both Bohemian garlic and jalapeño cheddar from my local butcher, Findley's)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, cut into coins
2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup combo of fresh or frozen green beans and/or peas (I used TJ's Bean So Green frozen mix)
3/4 cup pureed cooked vegetable like orange/red bell pepper, carrot or butternut squash (opt)
8-10 fresh mushrooms (whatever you like), sliced OR dried mushrooms, chopped and re-hydrated (reserve liquid)
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
chicken or beef broth, or water on hand as needed
butter or oil, as needed
salt and pepper to taste
mashed potatoes for topping
shredded cheese for topping (opt)

Pre-heat oven to 375.

In a large skillet, brown the ground sausage.  If there is a lot of excess fat, siphon or spoon it out, (reserve some in a bowl just in case you need it as you continue) otherwise you won't get a good browning on the meat.  If you are using a low-fat protein, add some butter to help create a nice gravy.

While the meat is browning, chop your veg and re-hydrate your mushrooms, if needed.

A note about these dehydrated mushrooms...do make sure to chop them up!  After I re-hydrated these I just dumped them all into my cooking pan.  I had some really strange-looking and behemoth 'shrooms hanging out in my shepherd's pie when all was said and done.  Still tasted great, but some bites looked as if I were eating a wood sprite's poor little home, and your little ones might protest.

To the pan, add the onion, garlic and shallots, and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Next, add the carrots, cook for another 2 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.  Add the beans and/or peas and diced tomatoes, then add the mushrooms with all liquid, and the pureed vegetable of choice.

If you don't have mushroom liquid and/or not using pureed veggie, add some broth.  We want to create a nice amount of liquid for gravy, but not too thin.  Also add the Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer.  If the sauce is too watery, boil rapidly to reduce.

Isn't this gorgeous?  Looks like a pan full of jewels.

In a casserole dish, ladle in the meat and veggie mixture.

You have mashed potatoes, right?  Egads, that looks frightening.

I just used some white fingerling potatoes, butter, heavy cream and salt and pepper.  It's what makes the world go round.

Top with mashed potatoes and cheese.

Bake uncovered at 375 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Yu-uuuum!  It's a perfect meal in one dish.  You have your unprocessed carbs, nice multi-colored veggies, good fats and protein.  Miss E gobbled this right now, including the funny mushrooms. ;)  It's even better the next day.  You don't need to buy a mix or something frozen, you can easily make this at home yourself, and it'll be a lot healthier.

Enter the AllThingsForSale bento giveaway here!

Handy printable: (I will try to do this from now on with recipes.)

-Pre-heat oven to 375.  

-In a large skillet, brown the ground sausage.  If there is a lot of excess fat, siphon or spoon it out, and reserve some in a bowl just in case you need it as you continue, otherwise you won't get a good browning on the meat.  If you are using a low-fat protein, add some butter to help create a nice gravy.

-While the meat is browning, chop your veg and re-hydrate your mushrooms, if needed.  

-To the pan, add the onion, garlic and shallots, and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the carrots, cook for another 2 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.  

-Add the beans and/or peas and diced tomatoes, then add the mushrooms with all liquid, and the pureed vegetable of choice.  If you don't have liquid  and/or not using pureed veggie, add some broth.  We want to create a nice amount of liquid for gravy, but not too thin.  Also add the Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer.  If the sauce is too thin, boil rapidly to reduce.  

-In a casserole dish, ladle in the meat and veggie mixture, and top with mashed potatoes and cheese.

-Bake uncovered at 375 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.