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.

"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.

Stolen lentil salad

The bearded man we stole this from called this "East meets West salad." We traded some very important things for this recipe. I'm going to miss my brother...



The ingredients:
2 cups cooked lentils
2 cups grated carrots
1 bunch scallion
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 stalk celery
1 red pepper
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 ume plum vinegar

Mix together and enjoy!

Roasted Salsa Verde

Ingredients:
10 tomatillos (about 1 lb.)
1-2 cloves garlic, with the skin still on
2-3 serrano chilies
1/2 white onion
1/4 cup cilantro
salt

Directions:
Remove husks and wash tomatillos. Place tomatillos, whole garlic cloves, and whole serranos on a pan with edges. Place under the broiler and heat until charred on all sides.

Remove outer skin from garlic and stems from serannos. Unless you like salsa on your ceiling, allow the vegetables to cool to prevent a blender explosion. Place tomatillos, garlic, and serranos in a blender and puree until large chunks are gone. Add diced onion, cilantro, and salt to taste.

Corn and Chili Chowder

Some guy at the farmer's market was roasting freshly picked peppers over a fire pit. They smelled so delicious that we bought a whole bag. Crazy good cooking ensued. This soup is a little spicy and gets hotter the longer it sits in the fridge. Leave the skin on the potatoes for added iron.

Ingredients:
2 ears sweet corn
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups cream or half and half
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 lb. potatoes, diced
2 roasted, peeled and seeded green chilies
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil corn. Cut kernels off the cob and set aside. In a large soup pot, combine broth, cream, and corn cobs. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove cobs.

Saute onion in oil until soft. Add onion, potatoes, and roasted chilies to cream mixture. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add corn kernels and cook for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

SPICY! Green Curry

The Ingredients:
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons green curry paste
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon sugar
1 scallion
1 ½ tablespoon asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ tablespoon cornstarch (dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water)
1 tablespoon cilantro
1 tablespoon basil

The Preparation:
Add 2 tablespoons coconut milk with curry paste, sugar, and ginger in pan on simmer. Wisk together until smooth. Add remaining milk and remaining ingredients and boil.

Guiseppi’s Smoky Alfredo

Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons Butter
1 ½ cups of half and half
½ cup Smoked Gouda
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tomato
2 Green Onions
¼ cup of Basil
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Melt butter in a wide frying pan over high heat until butter is lightly brown. Add garlic and ½ cup of half and half and boil rapidly until slightly thickened. Reduce the heat to medium, add half of the cheese and ½ cup of cream. Let cheese melt and add remaining cheese and half and half. Let cheese melt and add remaining ingredients. Serve over choice of pasta.