Sloppy Italian

I like to call this dish "Chuck Norris Pasta". That's because after you cook it, it looks a little dishevled, almost like you shouldn't really approach it. If you put a little salad next it, it's like it's just hiding in the woods. Then you eat it and BLAMO! You just got roundhoused kicked right in the mouth by the bearded penne!



Ingredients

• 1 pound gluten-free brown rice penne pasta
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 1/2 diced onion
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 pound chicken sausage
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons red chili pepper flakes

Directions

Cook pasta until tender. While pasta is cooking brown sausage in a saute pan. When thoroughly cooked, remove meat and add olive oil to the pan. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender. Add the meat back to the pan and add marinara sauce and drained pasta. Stir in cheeses and pepper flakes.

Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top.

Nothin' Beets a Salad!

Dwight Schrute made us work on the farm out in Sisters for 3 weeks before he gave up this little gem. That explains why it has been awhile since our last post.

Ingredients

2-3 large red beets
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
1 clove minced garlic (or less)
3/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound spinach, chopped 
1/2 cup walnuts or hazelnuts

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or chevre

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Cut stems off beets and place on a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Make a pouch out of the foil, sealing it tightly. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let beets steam for 10 minutes. Open pouch to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk in the oils and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

After beets have cooled, peel off the skins and cut the beet into bite-size pieces. Mix beets with half of vinaigrette, then mix spinach with the rest of the vinaigrette. Transfer greens to plates and top with beets, walnuts, and cheese.

"I'm stuffed" squash

 This dish is so good it was once described as the equivalent of riding a unicorn on a rainbow alongside Neil Patrick Harris while drinking pure joy from a Lil' Jon pimp cup made of squash.

Ingredients

• 1 small acorn squash cut in half  
• 1/2 pound ground chicken sausage 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup diced bell pepper
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth 
• 1 cup cooked rice 
• 3 cups spinach
• 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
•  1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. If necessary in order for the squash to sit upright, cut off a small portion of the bottom. Set squash on a baking pan and set aside.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown the sausage. Remove the meat from the pan, add the olive oil and saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until they begin to soften. Add cooked rice, sausage, wine, broth, and spinach and continue cooking until heated through. Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

Cram as much of the filling into the squash halves as you can. Top off by pouring extra broth ton top of the rice mixture to fill in any holes in the filling. Bake for 1 hour or until the squash is tender. Serve extra rice filling on the side. Eat.