Sausage and Lentils

Last Year's Post: Italian Tuna Sandwich (No Mayo)
Two Years Ago:  Holiday Breakfast Strata

There's something about sausages and lentils that says "fall" to me.  Add in some roasted vegetables and you have a beautiful rustic dish that's both healthy and filling.  My inspiration for this dish was two-fold.  First, if you're a fan of Costco, you'll understand completely that we wandered by a tasting table and liked the roasted pepper sausage with manchego cheese they were tasting.  We now have four packages waiting in the freezer.  One of my games when that happens is to find new and interesting ways to use the Costco ingredient without repeating the same recipe over and over.

My second inspiration was seeing some gorgeous French baby carrots at the grocery store.

Because my carrots were so small I roasted them whole rather than cutting them up, and I roasted the very smallest ones separately so I could take them out faster.

After that it's just a matter of cooking the lentils and sauteing the sausages.

You have a couple of choices with this dish.  The first is the type of sausage you use.  Definitely buy precooked turkey or chicken sausages (Amy's or Aidells are two good brands), but the choice is whether you buy primarily savory (Italian, roasted pepper, etc.) or slightly sweet (chicken, apple and maple, for example).  If you buy savory sausages the recipe calls for manchego cheese; if you buy an apple or maple variety you add maple syrup to the dressing, substitute blue cheese for manchego cheese, and adding fresh apple pieces.  Your choice.

The other choice is whether to serve it hot or at room temperature.  If you decide to serve it hot I'd suggest adding the cheese at the last minute on top so it doesn't melt into the dish.

Either way, it's a great and unique fall and winter dish.

printable recipe

Sausage and Lentils

Serves 4

For the salad dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 small garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (if using sausage with apple or maple flavors, otherwise omit)

1 cup of small French green (or small black) lentils, uncooked

1 fennel bulb

1 small red onion

4 carrots (less if adding apple, below)

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

3-4 precooked smoked sausages (your favorite flavor), cut into ½” pieces on an angle

½ cup cubed Manchego cheese (if using savory or spicy sausages) or crumbled blue cheese (if using apple or maple sausages)

½ cup fresh apple cubes (if using apple or maple sausage, otherwise omit)

Mix ingredients for dressing together in a jar with a lid. Shake well.

Cook the lentils according to package directions; drain.

 Preheat the oven to 450d.  While the lentils are cooking, roast the vegetables: slice the carrots in small chunks about the size of your thumb. Trim the leaves off the fennel bulb; core and cut into ½” wedges. Slice the onion into ½” wedges. Toss the carrots, fennel, onion and garlic with a tablespoon of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and then place on a baking sheet. Bake on the center rack for 25-30 minutes, turning over after half the time, until the carrots are fork-tender.  (If your carrots are larger or smaller change the baking time accordingly.) 

While the lentils are cooking and vegetables are roasting, sauté the sausage pieces in 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned.

Toss the warm lentils with some of the dressing.  After the lentils have cooled somewhat, add the remaining dressing, roasted vegetables, browned sausage, cheese and apple (optional) and serve.  Garnish with additional thyme leaves if desired.

Power Muffins

Last Year's Post: Sloppy Joes for Grownups
Two Years Ago:  Very Lemon Chicken and Fruited Couscous

Everybody likes muffins, and you might even be fooled into thinking that they're better for you than, say, a breakfast sandwich when faced with the choice at your favorite coffee shop.  But the culprits in muffins are calories and fat, even if the name sounds healthy.  For example, a Dunkin' Donuts Honey Bran Raisin Muffin has 500 calories and 14 grams of fat.

This recipe is different - packed with carrots, apples, flax seed and oat bran, it's good for you and delicious. Think of it as a healthy version of a Morning Glory muffin. Really, how can anything be bad when it starts with fresh foods like this?

When made in a medium size (remember medium-sized food?) each muffin has about 220 calories, 9 fat grams, 5 grams of protein and a bunch of great vitamins and minerals, especially potassium and vitamin A.  One muffin makes a healthy breakfast with some yogurt, or a perfect mid-morning or after-school snack for kids. It's filling but not heavy, moist and flavorful with the heady scent of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  If you need an energy boost after a hard workout this would be a good choice to keep you on track and energized.  One recipe makes about 16 muffins which keep perfectly in the freezer so it's easy to grab one on the go.

The recipe calls for peeled and cored apples, which has always caused me some trauma because apples are so round.  My grandmother was one of those people who could peel an apple with a paring knife in one long continuous peel, but then again she had apple trees in her back yard and made zillions of apple pies in her lifetime.  I not only can't peel an apple that way, I really don't want to learn so I have my own peculiar way of peeling apples.  I start by cutting the apple down the middle and then each half again to make four quarters using a big chef's knife.  Then I switch to a smaller knife to cut out the core part from each quarter and cut each quarter yet again into two pieces.  I lay each piece on its nice flat side and use the small knife to cut the peel off.  It's probably more time-consuming, but I'm not going to cut myself and it works.

After peeling and shredding the apples and carrots, it's really just a matter of measuring, mixing and baking.  I sprinkled some coarse sugar on the top for a little crunch and sparkle, but that's up to you.  One last thought - you can find ground flax seed and oat bran at your local health food store.

printable recipe

Power Muffins

Makes approximately 16 medium muffins

Note:  Each muffin has about 220 calories, 9 grams of fat, 35 carbohydrate grams and 5 grams of protein.  They’re nutrient-packed and a particularly good source of potassium and vitamin A along with other vitamins and minerals.

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup ground flax seed

¾ cup oat bran

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

¾ cup skim milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots

½ cup raisins

2 apples, peeled, cored and shredded

1 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts

Sparkling (coarse) sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350d.  Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, flax seed, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  Add the milk, eggs, vanilla and oil and mix until blended.  Stir in the carrots, apples, raisins and nuts.  Fill prepared muffin cups ¾ full, or paper liners to just under the top of the paper.  Sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar, optional.

Bake at 350d for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Cool before removing from the pan.