Sausage, Beer & Cheese Stew

Most of us can simply taste the onset of Spring despite the recent dip of temps below freezing (even after Mother Nature's cruel tease of 70-degree weather in Philadelphia a week ago!).  I came up with this hearty stew recipe to chase away those last bits of winter, serve with warm crusty bread for a satisfying dinner.  

Sausage, Beer & Cheese Stew

• 3 T olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced (about 1 large)
• 1 cup carrots, diced (about 2 large)
• 1 cups celery, diced (about 1-2 stalks)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 12-ounce bottle of lager (I used Yuengling)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 lb. all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced into about 1" pieces
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on how hot you like it
• 1/2 cup of milk or half and half
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 16 oz. turkey smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2" rounds
• 2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese
• Salt & pepper

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrots, and celery.  Season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper and saute for 10 minutes, until soft.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute. 

Add stock, beer, and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are beginning to get tender. 

Add milk or half and half, Worcestershire sauce and spices along with an additional 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and sausage and return to a boil. 

While soup simmers, remove 2 cups of vegetables and liquid and puree in a food processor or blender.  Stir back into soup along with grated cheese.  Heat for 5-10 minutes longer, until sausage is heated through.

Enjoy!

Chicken stock

Using the remains after the organic roast chicken I made earlier in the week, I made a flavorful chicken stock to use later on, when the weather starts to get a bit chillier, and I am craving some good homemade soup.

Making chicken stock takes a little bit of inactive time, but it is extremely simple and well worth the end results!  You just can't buy the same essence in a pre-made stock.

Chicken Stock

• The remains from a 5-lb. roasting chicken, including the giblets
• 1 large yellow onion, unpeeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and halved
• 2 stalks of celery, with leaves, halved
• 1 large handful of fresh parsley sprigs 
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 5 or 6 whole cloves of garlic
• 1 T of kosher salt
• 1 T whole black peppercorns

Throw all ingredients in a large stock pot.  Fill with water until about 2" to the top of the pot.

Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 3-4 hours.

Strain the liquid into storage container, the large soup containers from Chinese take-out work perfectly for this.  Store in your refrigerator for 4-5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

It's that easy!

Meatless Monday - Veggie Chili

This was my first attempt at using tempeh, and I'm not going to lie - I was a bit apprehensive.  In the end, the recipe came out very good!  It even fooled my carnivorous fiance, and tricking him into eating meatless meals are one of my favorite things!

I made this recipe using a crock pot.  If you don't have crock pot, or don't feel like using one, just cook on low on the stovetop for 1-1.5 hours.  It won't be quite as flavorful, however.

You have to add extra spice to meatless meals when using a soy-based meat substitute because it absorbs the flavors of what it is cooking in.  Play around with the spice levels to suit your personal tastes.


Tempeh Chili

• 1 package (8 oz) tempeh
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large carrot, diced small
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 T olive oil + 2 teaspoons
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 3-4 tablespoons chili powder (depending on how hot you like it!)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bottle good dark beer
• 1 18 oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 T tomato paste
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

 For Serving:

• Rice
• Sour Cream
• Cheddar Cheese
• Green Onions

In a large frying pan, cook onions, carrots and green bell pepper over med-high heat, until tender and a little brown (about 10 minutes) stirring occasionally.  Transfer to bottom of crock pot. 

Add tempeh to your now-empty pan and fill with water until it is almost covered. Add 2 teaspoons soy sauce and let simmer over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. When water is mostly absorbed, mash tempeh with a fork, so it's crumbly but still chunky - it will resemble ground beef.  Lower heat to medium and add 2 teaspoons olive oil, garlic and spices.  Saute for another minute, then transer to crock pot.

Stir beer into the crock pot mixture. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, beans, maple syrup, and lemon juice.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Serve over rice and top with cheese, chopped green onion and sour cream.

Chili with a touch of something different...

The cold months make me crave something substantial.. something robust. Tired of the same ol' chili recipe, I was inspired to come up with a twist on the traditional chili. The result of my quest was something so unique and gratifying, I am happy to share this recipe with you. I know this sounds... different.. but please give it a try. It's so delicious I actually entered it in a recipe contest - I'll let you know if I win! ;o)

Be diligent with seasoning with salt and pepper each step of the way. You are building flavor, layer by layer, and adding salt and pepper at the end just won't cut it.

Cooking the chili low and slow will produce tender, sumptuous meat from a tough cut of beef.

Beef and Kahlúa Chili

• 3 T canola oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1.5 lbs chuck steak, trimmed of excess fat and cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 T chili powder
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 (15-oz) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 (15-oz) cans black beans
• 1 (6-oz) can tamato paste
• 2/3 cup Kahlúa, coffee flavored liqueur
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt & pepper
• Sour cream, diced shallots and shredded sharp white cheddar for serving

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and turn heat down to medium-low. Cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn heat up to medium-high. Add beef and brown on all sides, approximately 4 more minutes. Add bell pepper and spices. Season again with salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, and Kahlúa. Stir in parsley and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 & 1/2 hours.

Serve chili topped with sour cream, shallots and shredded cheese.

Beef Stew to Chase Away the Chills

When the weather gets cold, you need something warm and substantial to satisfy your appetite. Try this beef stew recipe to nourish your stomach, as well as your soul...

Add any vegetables you have in your kitchen. When it comes to soups & stews, the rule is - there are no rules!

Sara's Beef Stew

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 &1/2 lbs. stew beef
• 2 T flour
• 1 Qt beef stock
• 1 & 1/2 cups red wine
• 2 T tomato paste
• Salt & pepper
• 3-4 large red potatoes
• 3 large carrots, cut into 1/2" slices
• 2-3 stalks of celery, diced in 1/4" slices
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/2 lb.s green beans
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried rosemary

In a dutch oven (or large pot), heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until brown on each side, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir so beef is coated on all sides and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add beef stock, wine, and tomato paste to pot and season with more salt (1 tsp) and pepper (1/2 tsp).

Add in all vegetables, bay leaf and rosemary. Cover and reduce heat to low.

Cook, covered, for about 1 hour.

Serve with bread or biscuits.

Chicken Soup to Spice up the Soul!

Over the weekend, I watched Rick Bayless's show called "Mexico: One Plate at a Time." The show featured a number of recipes using lime as an ingredient.

He made a lime chicken soup on the show that inspired me to go into my kitchen and create a similar dish that I will now have as part of my permanent repertoire - it was so good! I admit, I was hesitant about LIME in chicken soup, but it is an amazing flavor you just have to try!

The ingredients I used were items I had on hand. Quick, easy, but satisfying- this spicy 1-pot meal is a great weeknight dinner!




Sara's Lime-Chicken Soup

For the tortilla garnish:

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2-3 tortillas, sliced into 1/4" strips

Heat oil in a large pot on the stove one medium-high (the same pot will be used to make the soup later).

Add tortilla strips and stir constantly until they brown slightly and start to crisp. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the soup:

• 1 32 oz container organic low-sodium chicken stock (I like Wegman's store brand)
• Juice of 2 limes (this juicer is really the best at getting all of the juice out!)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies and juice
• 1 can pinto or cannellini beans (rinsed)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• 2 chicken breasts

To a large stockpot, add chicken stock, lime juice, tomatoes & juice, beans, onion, salt & pepper and heat to medium-high.

Sink chicken breasts into broth, cover, turn heat down to med-low an walk away (that's the best part)!

Leave soup to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a cutting board. Pull chicken apart with 2 forks into bite sized pieces. Return to soup.

Serve topped with tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream!

The kitchen tool I couldn't live without...

I did not make anything too entirely noteworthy for dinner last night, just chicken chili. In fact, I cheated and used a McCormick seasoning mix, which are great for weeknight meals when you don't feel like standing on your feet making dinner for an hour after you've worked all day. McCormick, please contact me if you are interested in forming some sort of alliance... ;)

The packet instructs you to cube your chicken, but I just used ground chicken which worked beautifully. I also had a jalapeño in the fridge, so I diced that up and threw it in the pot with a little diced onion. I served it over rice with a little sour cream, shredded cheddar and slices of avocado to garnish. Yum! Chicken chili is a nice, lighter alternative to the regular beef chili that I make (which is a favorite of mine... maybe someday I'll even give you my recipe!).


Since I do not have much to write about concerning last night's dinner, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about favorite kitchen gadgets. Speaking of serving chili over rice, one of my favorite gadgets is my rice cooker. I love being able to measure rice, water and salt, flip it on and walk away. I sometimes make large batches at a time to use throughout the week.

The best part about my rice cooker is that it also has a steamer basket that I can nest on top of the bowl, so while I am cooking rice, I can steam vegetables at the same time! I bought my cooker for $20.00 at Target a while back and it is sadly time to replace it. The non-stick surface has been scratched by too many metal spoons dishing out rice (oops!). So my search begins for an upgrade…

Another tool/gadget I could not live without are my tongs. I particularly love my Oxo Good Grips tongs which have nylon heads so they don’t scratch your pots & pans. In fact, I love just about everything that Oxo makes. I use tongs all the time when I am cooking on the stove top (which I do a lot). Sautéing a chicken breast, taking pasta out of cooking water, making a stir-fry…

What cooking gadgets do you use the most? Do you have a gadget that is just your favorite even if you don’t use it often?