My sister, Danielle made this up the other night and she said it was AWESOME! The idea is to use up any and all of the veggies in your fridge. Fresh, frozen, canned or even leftovers will work. There is no wrong way to make this! Just remember to add frozen veggies first and canned veggies last.

Serves 12-16

• 2 12-oz pkgs any flavor chicken sausage without casing or casings removed
• 1 cup any kind of onions chopped or 2 leeks cut lengthwise and then sliced on bias
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 cups of any root or squash-like vegetables on hand: celery, carrots, potatoes, yams, green beans, squash, zucchini; slice or cube into small, equal sizes so that they cook in about the the same amount of time
• 2 cups leafy vegetable like kale, cabbage or spinach, chopped
• 1 can beans like red kidney, garbanzo, cannellini or northern beans
• 10 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of your choice such as rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley (If you have very flavorful sausage, you could even skip this ingredient)
• Salt and pepper

Break up chicken sausage with hands or back of spoon and add to large stock pot over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add garlic, onion and celery. Cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Add stock, root/squash vegetables and herbs to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and squash are almost done (should be able to easily pierce with a fork or knife). Then add leafy vegetables and canned beans. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

The new Cooking channel has started and I am feeling completely nostalgic watching Two Fat Ladies, Sara’s Secrets and Jamie at Home. Last week I saw an episode on Jamie at Home called Carbonara alla Courgette that looks easy and delicious. I made the dinner for the family and it was so flavorful with the cream sauce, full of fresh zucchini and squash and don’t forget the bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon?

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/beautiful-courgette-carbonara

While I was making the Fast & Easy Lemon Chicken last night, I decided we needed a succulent vegetable to accompany the savory lemon sauce and I thought baby spinach would be a good pairing.  However, while watching The Next Iron Chef on Food Network a few weeks ago I heard Jeffrey Steingarten mention that raw spinach does not have nearly the nutrition value that cooked spinach does. This intrigued me since I enjoy a spinach salad a couple times a week over traditional lettuce.  I knew that spinach was high in fiber and great for your eyes but I wanted to know more.  I called Popeye but he wasn’t unavailable so I plundered through the world wide web instead.

I did little research on NutritionalData.com and found that when comparing 1 cup of raw spinach to 1 cup of cooked spinach with no salt added the nutritional value of the cooked spinach is significantly higher. For instance, the Vitamin A in uncooked spinach is around 56% compared to the 377% in cooked spinach. Both versions are low in saturated fat and very low in Cholesterol.  That is not to negate the nutritional values of eating spinach raw.  It contains high quantities of vitamin C and other phytonutrients (nutrients that fight against disease). The Healthy Foodie,  Doug DiPasquale stated on the website ThatsFit that “raw spinach contains a substance which blocks the absorption of many minerals, including iodine, a mineral critical to the proper functioning of the thyroid. It also contains oxalic acid, a substance that interferes with the absorption of calcium, but which is destroyed in cooking. Raw spinach should therefore be avoided by those with thyroid issues, or those at high risk for osteoporosis, and should only be enjoyed on occasion by the rest of us (one spinach salad per week shouldn’t be an issue).”

Now – on to the nom, nom food.  This recipe combines the flavors of spinach and carrots with a dash of lemon zest that will help break down the iron for easier absorption into the body.  The pecans and bacon are just added flare.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot peeled
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup of pecans
• 2 tbsp. crumbled bacon pieces
• salt and pepper to taste

Using a potato peeler, shave the carrot into thin, one-inch long pieces.  Zest the lemon to make 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, warm the pecans for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Remove pecans from pan and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the shredded carrot and the spinach leaves along with a dash of salt and pepper.  Toss spinach and carrots in pan until the spinach leaves are wilted and the shredded carrots are just al dente. Remove from heat and add the lemon zest and the crumbled bacon and toss to incorporate.  Plate and sprinkle with toasted pecans.

My sister, Danielle, created this simple but elegant mushroom dish.  She loved it so much that she immediately picked up the phone to share it with me and the readers of Cooking with Brandy. The recipe serves 2-3 people.

• 12 large white button mushrooms (stems removed and dirt wiped off)
• 12 slices of brie cheese from a 1 ½ inch round log (1/4” slices)
• 12 small basil leaves
• 3 tbsp of melted butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Take two large pieces of aluminum foil and turn up the edges to form two shallow bowl. Place mushrooms in foil bowls with tops down. Top with brie slice and basil leaf. Drizzle butter over mushrooms and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake in over for 5-10 minutes until brie starts to melt and mushrooms firm, dark and juicy.

Dani

www.danielledesigns.com

Asparagus is one of my go-to vegetables when I need a healthy side dish to fish or chicken.  I make it many different ways but typically I use a lemon dill sauce that takes seconds.

First I remove the ends of the asparagus with snap.  Then I chop the stalks to  1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces. Next I add the asparagus to a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, I remove the asparagus and place it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

In the emptied cooking pot, I toss the asparagus back in on medium heat.  I add about a 1/4 tsp of dried dill, a pat of butter (or olive oil) and a squirt or two of lemon juice. Toss together and serve immediately. Easy as pie… I mean Easy of Veggie!

June 8th – 14th, 2008

Well, another wonderful week has passed.  Coupons clipped, groceries shopped, food prepped, and bellies bursting.  This week’s menu had quite the variety but enjoyed by many.  Most of the recipes are from cookbooks and other resources, but I threw in my “twist” when I could. From semi-homemade pizzas to slow-cooker recipes and on to luscious desserts, I recommend these dishes to the food lover in you. 

Sunday, June 8th: After venturing through my cookbooks and then visiting the local super market to pick up the ingredients for this week’s concoctions, I returned home to endulge my kitchen obsession for, sad to say, seven hours.  Sometimes, I get so caught up playing around in the kitchen, with my little tv tuned to the food network, that I lose track of time.  Baby Zoey was in my belly just dancing away and other than a little ache in my feet, I was tickled pink to be making these creations. 

I was working on a Rachel Ray 30-minute meal recipe called Jerky Turkey Burgers with Papaya Salsa and realized I didn’t have the ingredients to make the salsa portion of the dish. I started improvising and come out with a great recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen mango, cubed (fresh or canned is fine as well)
• 3 medium oranges (peeled and diced, reserving the juices)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• salt