Thursday, November 18, 2010

Skillet Cabbage Rolls

Yes, my cabbage rolls are delicious.... but they take time (and we all know most of you are not thinking about dinner at breakfast, like me). So here is a way to make my cabbage rolls in a skillet and you don't have to start making them at lunch time. It takes about 30 minutes to make them and you could definitely make them whenever you have a chance during the day and then reheat them at dinner time.

1 lb ground beef (I used turkey)
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 head cabbage, roughly chopped
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2- 8oz. cans of tomato sauce
1- 6oz. can of tomato paste
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1 bay leaf

In a large skillet, put 1 tbsp oil and brown meat, using a wooden spatula to break up the big pieces. Cook until no longer pink. If using ground beef, drain the fat. Add the onion and cook for a couple minutes. Then stir in the cabbage, rice, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer over low heat until rice is cooked, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies



I have made these about 5 times now this fall season... they are always a hit!!

1 can of pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and then add to flour mixture. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add the vanilla and chips. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet and bake 11-12 minutes or until firm.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Crockpot Sausage, Beans & Greens


Again I had collard greens in my fridge from my veggie share and I was looking on the internet for something to do with them. I came across a version of this recipe and decided to tweak it a bit and make it my own! It was delicious and definitely a great meal to make ahead of time for those of you with little kids!

1 can beans (I used pinto beans)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder (or minced onion)
1 lb turkey or pork sausage, casing removed
1 bunch collard greens, cut into ribbons and washed
1/2 cup water
1 tsp finely minced garlic
Parmesan cheese for serving

Brown sausage in a sauce pan in a tablespoon or two of olive oil, using a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into pieces. The crockpot removes the color from browned foods, so make sure you get them very brown. Remove the sausage from the pan and add 1/2 cup water and fresh garlic to the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes to deglaze the pan.

Cut stems off collard greens, cut into ribbons crosswise, then cut the long ribbons into 2-3 pieces and rinse. Place collard greens in bottom of crockpot. Put beans along with garlic powder and onion powder in and top with sausage and then pour deglazing liquid in.

Cook on low 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours or until collard greens are quite soft and flavors are combined. Serve hot with cheese.