Quick Kielbasa Sautee

Here's a quick weeknight dinner for you.

I prepared this on a night when my fridge and cupboards were almost bare, and there was nothing to eat in the house.  Except for kielbasa, zucchini, frozen corn, and rice.

So there you have it.  How this dinner was created.

I really liked the corn/red onion/ zucchini combination, but you could easily substitute whatever you have on hand.  Peppers and/or peas would work. You could add tomatoes if you like.  I've even added pineapple in similar dishes. 

You could also substitute whatever sausage you have on hand, though I do love the kielbasa flavor for a change. 

This is one of my favorite quick weeknight dinners. Limited ingredients, limited time. 

But pretty delicious!

Quick Kielbasa Sautee

13 oz beef polish kielbasa, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups frozen corn
3 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup beef stock (preferably homemade of course, or low-sodium)
Jasmine rice

Heat a few drizzles of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Once hot, add the kielbasa and cook undisturbed for about 5-8 minutes or until kielbasa starts to blacken slightly.  Give a stir, and let cook another few minutes undisturbed.  Continue cooking until kielbasa has a nice blackened exterior- this gives it a really nice sweet, slightly crispy flavor.

Remove kielbasa and set aside.  In same skillet over med high heat, add red onion. Sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions start to look soft and golden.  Add the zucchini, corn, and garlic.  Sautee another 5 minutes.  Zucchini will start to soften.  Add the beef stock and kielbasa and cook another couple minutes until most of stock is absorbed and zucchini is softened. 

Spoon over jasmine rice.  

Ancho Rubbed Roast Chicken stuffed with Mexican Stuffing, Poblano Corn Pudding, and 'Calabacits Guisada' with Edamame

Hello!  How I've missed blogging.  And cooking!

In case you don't know, I've moved from PA to CO.  The Boyfriend and I lived here for a week out of backpacks.  Literally.  No dishes. ONE skillet, paper plates and cups, plastic silverware.  For a WEEK!  

Now that we're all settled in, I thought my first blog out here should showcase Colorado's food scene.  

Which is Mexican.  

Makes sense right?  Colorado really doesn't do their own thing

 (Philly- cheesesteaks, soft pretzels... Whole state of Colorado- meat and potatoes I guess!) 

I'd be willing to estimate that the restaurants here are 30% American food, 30% Asian food, and 40% Mexican food.

Quick breakfast:

 Philly-  Grab a Wawa sandwich or Dunkin Donuts.

Colorado- Grab a breakfast burrito

Quick lunch: 

Philly- grab a Wawa sandwich or a hoagie

Colorado- Grab a lunch burrito

:)

Not that I mind, the Mexican food here is SO MUCH better than on the East Coast.  

So for you, I made a Mexican dinner.  A Mexican feast.  

Suitable for a non-conventional Thanksgiving or Sunday night dinner.  I can't say how authentic it is, I have to check out more of the Mexican places around here.  But man was it good. 

The showstopper on this meal is was the Proscuitto and Poblano Corn Pudding. Trust me on this.  This recipe is one of the BEST things I ever ate.  I kid you not.  The bite from the poblano's, the salty bits of proscuitto, the sweetness of the corn, and the manchengo cheese....  you just don't understand.    It would be a great side dish to many, many meals.  If you make nothing else here, I'm telling you....

The Ancho Rubbed Roast Chicken was also amazing.  The skin was so crispy, with a bit of heat from the ancho chile powder (but not really spicy), the meat so juicy.  The Mexican stuffing I made at the last minute, as I had a bunch of bread-butts I wanted to use up.  I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but it was pretty darn good.  Maybe next time I'd add a little chicken stock for a little added  moisture.

'Calabacitas Guisada' is Mexican Stewed Zucchini, only I forgot to buy zucchini!  I had some shelled edamame in the fridge that worked pretty nicely though.  

All-in-all, a great meal!

Sage Chicken Chili with Lentils and Garden Vegetables

Here's a nice fall meal for you!

My parents recently gave me an organic homegrown squash that was almost as big as me.. maybe a mild exaggeration.. but look:

They also gave me homegrown peppers and tomatoes, and with this beautiful fall weather and football season starting, OF COURSE I'M GOING TO MAKE CHILI!

This is a healthier chili- made with chicken, protein packing lentils, and lots of vegetables.  It's mildly spicy, though of course you can adjust it to your own tastes.  If you want less spicy, skip the jalapeno and reduce the chili powder to a teaspoon or none at all. For more spicy, increase chili powder to 2 tbsp, and if you really want it hot add another jalapeno!

This is a one-pot meal- no rice required!  The lentils are way healthier than rice, and make the chili a bit more hearty and filling.  Afraid of lentils?  Don't be- they really don't taste like much- they soak up the flavor of the chili, and The Boyfriend didn't even know they were in there.  He still doesn't.   :)  

This chili would make for a perfect vegetarian chili too- just skip the chicken, increase the lentils, and use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock.  The recipe is very forgiving- add and subtract vegetables as you desire.

As with any chili, this can be made in the crockpot or on the stovetop. I wrote down both methods for you. 

Serve with a dollop of sour cream if you like, maybe a Gorgonzola Sage Popover, and voila! Dinner is served.