Tag: chicken sausage

Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Slow Cooker

The “Feel Good” Italian Sausage Soup

Annie

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Can we talk about these color? Ermahgawd, this soup was almost too pretty to eat. Having a cold, this warm and hearty veggies made Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Soup hit the spot. The only downside to these beautiful, rainbow veggies is that the purple carrots and potatoes give the broth a purple, rosy hue, but I’m not complaining. For not knowing what I was going to cook this past Sunday, this came together quite nicely. The soup is basically veggies, Italian chicken sausage, some Italian spices and homemade veggie stock. Let it cook and simmer in a slow cooker until the potatoes and carrots are tender.  (In the market for a new slow cooker? Check out Reviews.com for The Best Slow Cooker.)

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Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish

Positively Perfect One Pan Veggie & Sausage Roast

Annie

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I found these cute, petite rainbow carrots at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago and knew I wanted to make a veggie roast. The summer I was in Munich, it was quite unseasonably cold and rainy. My friend, Katie (aka Katinka), roasted Bavarian pork sausage, apples and potatoes. This is my take on it: Roasted Rainbow Veggies with Apple Chicken Sausage. The leeks get crispy like Brussels sprouts and the carrots, zucchini and sweet potatoes are tender after the roasting. The dried thyme makes your kitchen smell AWESOME (emphasis on awesome clearly), and the apple sausage is a sweet, savory addition to balance out the garlicky cauliflower mashed potatoes and sweetly cooked veggies. This may be the easy one pan dish and the quintessential fall meal.

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Better Than Takeout, Entrée, Italian, Lightened Up

Happy FriYAY with Low-Carb Pizzas

Annie

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It’s Friday, so I’m celebrating with a little quick and healthy ‘za. I feel like the weekend rolls around and we all think we’ve “earned” a little indulgence for the weekend. This Tortilla Pizza with Basil & Sausage is just the way to indulge without feeling gross. It requires ingredients you probably already have on hand like whole wheat tortillas, chicken sausage (I always store some in my freezer), tomato sauce and parmesan cheese — it’s that easy. You can obviously swap out the meat for veggies, but don’t make the pizzas too heavy. For a serving size of two tortilla pizzas, it’s just the right amount of pizza without feeling overly stuffed.

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Breakfast/Brunch, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian

Yet Another Excuse for Breakfast Pizza

Annie

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Pizza for breakfast? Yes, please. Dish me up. I had previously made a breakfast pizza with turkey bacon and a sweet potato crust, so I obviously had to switch things up with a chicken sausage pizza made with a zucchini crust. I was pleasantly surprised that this crust stayed as a crust. (It holds up a little less well when reheated, but still keeps its shape.) This is an easy, fun breakfast or brunch option. Pour the coffee (or those mimosas) and enjoy Zucchini Crust Breakfast Pizza.

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Appetizer, Better Than Takeout, Entrée, Lightened Up, One Pot Dish

5 Minute Crispy BBQ Pizza

Annie

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I’ve been craving pizza lately and when I say craving, I mean CRAVING. I didn’t feel like making a cauliflower crust, I couldn’t find my go-to naan at Whole Foods, and I didn’t want to make dough from scratch. Instead I found Top This! Whole Wheat 13″ Crust in the freezer section. It was thin, crispy, and had a nice char flavor since it’s grilled. I went a little light on sauce/toppings since I wasn’t sure how this crust would hold up, but next time I make it, I can definitely go closer to the edge and add some more BBQ. The honey sriracha BBQ sauce pairs well with chicken sausage to give you a Crispy BBQ Sausage Flatbread.

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Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish

Lightened Up Lasagna

Annie

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I have a confession. Well, actually I have two I suppose. The first is that I don’t own an 8×8 or 9×9 pan so hence why my lasagna looks like a pie (and sheet pan was way too big for this). Might need to change that… The second is that I haven’t made lasagna since moving to Boston. Crazy, right? After assembling and making Spaghetti Squash Lasagna, I realized I’ve been missing ricotta in my life. I made a homemade red sauce in the slow cooker (recipe here, minus the meatballs and plus a hearty amount of red pepper flakes) and cooked the spaghetti squash ahead of time. The key to keeping this a true lasagna is removing the excess water from the spaghetti squash. Then you can really pack the squash to make a thick layer  Then you can layer to your heart’s desire. This lasagna is lightened up with less cheese, chicken sausage and swapping noodles for spaghetti squash. Ignore the poorly plated end result because a) it was too dark to take a picture of the whole pan and b) the slice is an odd shape thanks to the pie pan, but I assure you that it’s truly fullllll of flavors.

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Appetizer, Better Than Takeout, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Lightened Up, Vegetarian

Cauliflower Pizza Crust for the Win

Annie

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I love Cauliflower Pizza Crust. This was another great Pinterest find. This recipe has been in my kitchen circulation for about 3 years now. Carbs have gotten such a bad rep, but I still like to dabble with different options like gluten-free. The only downside to this gluten-free curst is that it can be paaaaacked with cheese. Don’t get me wrong — I love cheese. It’s absolutely delicious, but I’m a firm believer in moderation. I cut back on the cheese and the crust was still a “crust.” I’ve cooked this crust many ways — on foil, on a pizza stone, directly on a baking sheet — and using the Silpat allowed for a crispy crust that perfectly browned on the bottom and was much more like a “true curst.” Who wants another slice?

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Breakfast/Brunch, Entrée, Lightened Up, Meal Prep

Nothing Cheesy About This Breakfast

Annie

"Lightened Up" Cheesy Egg Bake

This is my dad’s recipe. We had “Lightened Up” Cheesy Egg Bake for Christmas brunch along with our neighbor’s famous Christmas stollen (a German bread baked with dried fruit and nuts and then dusted with powdered sugar — it’s delicious) and fresh fruit. Cheesy Egg Bake is normally made with bread, full-fat pork breakfast sausage, heavy cream, eggs and cheese. We swapped bread for multigrain, cream for soy milk and pork sausage for the leaner turkey or chicken. It’s really quite easy to make and has many options to make your own. Toss in some veggies, swap eggs for egg whites, experiment with bread…the list goes on. Any way you try it, “Lightened Up” Cheesy Egg Bake is sure to please.

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