Roasted Chicken Sausage & Sweet Potatoes

Ok, so I NEVER cook without a recipe, like EVER but I guess I was feeling daring because today I whipped this tasty little number up and it was a hit with the whole family. I got the inspiration from this recipe which I made a few nights ago for company and served with a crusty sourdough loaf. I wanted something sweet and savory and Fallish so this was the end product. You could definitely add whatever veggies you like best besides sweet potatoes like parsnips or carrots. I thought next time I might try adding some brussels sprouts to add a little green to the mix.  You can also use whatever types of sausages you like best. Trader Joe's has like 10 different types so I went with their Roasted Apple Chicken Sausages. I thought it would pair well with the sweet potato. If you want to experiment with the flavor at all you could also add a tablespoon of mustard to the sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 packages of Chicken Sausages with Roasted Apples, cut into 1" pieces (I use Trader Joe's brand)
2-3 large sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 red onions, cut into large chunks
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
salt & pepper

Directions:
Cut up Chicken Sausages, sweet potatoes and red onion and toss in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl whisk together olive oil and maple syrup and then pour it over the chicken and veggies. Stir to coat. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish or onto a baking sheet. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes until cooked through and golden. If you like it to have a more grilled taste then you can broil it for a few minutes at the end.

Serve with a green salad and crusty bread.

Roasted Sausage, peppers and potatoes

This is the easiest, no-brainer meal ever and it only takes a few minutes to whip together. I've made it several times now and have tweaked it to meet the taste of our family. I like extra mustard and Brad likes extra onion so feel free to play around with it. We prefer the taste of the hofbrau brats over italian sausages but use whatever you like. This is a new Lucht family staple. :)

Ingredients:

1- 1 1/2lb  raw sausages, cut into 2" pieces ( I've used both italian sausage and brats from Trader Joes)

1 lb baby potatoes, quartered

2 sliced bell pepper, 1/2" wide and 3" long (I used green but red would be good too)

1  large or 2 small sweet onions (sliced in chunks the same size as peppers)

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

1-2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoon grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Add the sausage, potatoes, peppers, onion and rosemary to an extra large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate small bowl whisk olive oil and mustard together. Add garlic, parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper, whisk until well combined.
3. Pour over sausage mixture and toss well until everything is coated.
4. Grease a large, thin cookie sheet with sides and pour out the mixture. Spread evenly over the baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes until sausage is cooked through and potatoes are golden and tender.
5. Serve with parmesan and crusty bread

Beer Brats

Grilling season is upon us! And due to all of my Wisconsinite blood I am craving brats on a daily basis. This is a simple way to amp up your usual brat and it is a good way to feed a crowd. . .that is of course assuming you aren't like the Lucht family who consumes absurd amounts of tasty-bratness.  The four of us ate a dozen last night! Don't judge until you try this recipe and then you will be stuffing your face as well. We use a charcoal Weber grill but obviously any grill will work. The brats brown up pretty fast after you pre-cook them in the beer bath so just keep an eye on them and turn them frequently.

Beer Brats

Ingredients:

1 dozen raw brats (I get the hofbrau brats from Trader Joe's)

1 dozen brat buns (optional, we go bun-less usually but Trafer Joe's carries brat buns)

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 cans or 2 bottles of beer (We get a six-pack of Name Tag Beer from Trader Joe's for $2.99)

ketchup, mustard, relish, ect.

Directions:

Combine the brats, butter, onion and beer in a large dutch oven or pot. Give it a good stir and then bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until brats are cooked through. Remove brats from the beer bath and cook on the grill until golden brown. We also use a slotted spoon and remove the onions from the beer bath and cook them in an aluminum foil boat on the grill and eat the grilled onions on top of our brats. Serve with spicy mustards, relish, or whatever else you like. You can also use pretzel buns for some extra goodness. Enjoy!

Chicken Vesuvio

The best thing about this recipe is that you can cook the ENTIRE meal stove-top in ONE POT. That means only one thing to wash! It is a great meal for when you have company over because it is a complete meal that looks really fancy even though it is super easy. All you'd need to add is a loaf of crusty bread and some glasses of wine! It is a Cook's Illustrated recipe from their "Skillet Supers" cookbook which I am newly obsessed with. I suggest having everything out and ready because this meal cooks up really fast.

Here is how you make it-

Chicken Vesuvio

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
2T olive oil
1 1/2 lb. baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup white wine (and then drink the rest with your meal!)
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 T unsalted butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Pat chicken dry and season w/salt & pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large 12" skillet over medium/high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. (The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point, you are just browning it to seal in the juices/flavor)

Add remaining oil to the skillet and cook potatoes, cut side down until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, rosemary, oregano and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add wine and broth, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil. Make sure the potatoes are flipped at this point so they can cook all the way though. Return the chicken breast to the skillet on top of the potatoes. (They will just sort of hang out on top of the potatoes and broth and the steam will cook them the rest of the way through) Reduce heat to medium/low, cover and simmer for about 12 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender.

Using a slotted spoon transfer the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter and tent with foil while you finish the sauce.

Increase the heat to medium/high and cook the sauce, uncovered until it is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Take the skillet off the heat and whisk in the butter and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Pour sauce over the chicken and potatoes. Serve and devour. (:

Feta-Stuffed Chicken

This is a tried and true in the Lucht house. It literally takes only 10 minutes to prep and I often have all the ingredients on hand.

Feta-Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c breadcrumbs (make your own from sprouted bread!)
2 Tbs Butter
4 Tbs Feta Cheese (T.J.'s has Feta w/Med. Herbs which is extra good!)
4 tooth picks


Directions:
Pound the chicken breasts flat with a rolling pin or meat mallet. They should be about 1/4 of an inch thick. This keeps the meat nice and tender and allows it to cook quickly. Rinse the chicken of with water and then dredge each breast in breadcrumbs. Put one tablespoon of feta cheese onto each breast, and then fold over. Hold the stuffed breasts closed with a tooth pick. Melt the butter and poor it over the chicken breasts. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Serve over fresh spinach leaves with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. You will love it!

Easy Crock Pot Chili

I was craving chili the other day so I modified a recipe that I found in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and made a huge batch. We have neighborhood dinners on Tuesday nights so this was a good recipe to feed a crowd. I know that everyone and their mother already knows how to make chili but this recipe was easy and tasty so I thought I'd share. Also, you can save a buck and buy all the ingredients at Trader Joe's! :)

Easy Crock Pot Chili

2 lbs Grass Fed Ground Beef

1 large onion diced

1 4 oz can of fire roasted diced green chilis

2 14 1/2 oz cans of Organic Tomatoes Diced and Fire Roasted w/green chilis

2 14 1/2 oz cans of Organic Kidney Beans

1 15oz can of Organic Tomato Sauce

2T Chili Powder

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

2 cloves minced garlic

Brown beef on stove top, drain fat and then transfer to crock pot. Stir in all other ingredients. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve with sour cream, cheese, oyster crackers and corn bread.

This recipe can easily be tweaked to fit your tastes. :)