Spicy Sausage Asparagus Pasta

Our dinners have been Farm Fresh lately! We are loving all the amazing produce that is popping up at Farmers Markets, neighborhood gardens and in my own back yard! In addition, this is the first year that I have been able to maintain a nice herb garden. I love that I can walk five steps and cut basil or lavender fresh from the stalk. 

After a successful trip to the Farmers Market a few weeks ago, I was determined to come up with a recipe that used everything in my basket, including arugula flowers which was a new item for me. Arugula flowers are my new favorite gem from the Market! they are cream colored with a purple vein running through the pedals. The edible flower is nutty and peppery, just like arugula leaves. They are very perishable though, so buy them and use them up fast. 

Another new item in the basket was a spicy pork sausage with sage from Fickle Creek Farms. This vendor is a must-stop now after trying their organic chickens....yum! I found asparagus, peppers, onions, arugula (with the flowers) and even a fresh pasta vendor. After 20 minutes in the market, dinner was planned!

Since most of you don't live in my area, you can use any type of sausage. Jimmy Dean's makes a Natural Sage Sausage that is a good alternative if you can't find any at your local Farmers Market. Asparagus season is pretty much over too, so broccoli or zucchini is a great substitution for this here. 

Spicy Sausage Asparagus Pasta

Yields: 4 servings

1 pound sausage (we used Fickle Creek Farms Spicy Pork Sausage with sage)
1 pound asparagus, *cooked, chopped (or other vegetable)

3 red bell peppers, quartered and de-seeded (or use 1 jar of roasted red peppers)

1 small red onion, diced

8 ounces elbow pasta (we used TruRoots gluten free)

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups fresh arugula

Arugula flowers for garnish

Parmesan cheese, shredded

If making the peppers, Preheat the broiler to high and move the rack to the highest setting in the oven. Place the quartered red peppers on a greased cookie sheet and broil until the skin of the peppers are very charred. Quickly remove the peppers and place in a brown paper bag and seal. Set this aside for 15-20 minutes. Once the peppers have rested in the bag and are cool enough to touch, peel the skin off the peppers, roughly chop and set aside.

*Cook the asparagus (or other vegetable), there are few options here:

1. Roast the asparagus in a 375F oven for about 15 minutes
2. Steam the asparagus in a steamer (stove top or microwave steamer)
3. Boil the asparagus with the pasta, but this might increase the asparagus flavor intensely.

While the peppers are roasting/sitting, cook the pasta according to instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large saute pan, cook the sausage, breaking it into small chunks. Remove the sausage, reserving about 1 Tablespoon of the grease in the pan. Add in the onions and cook for about 5-7 minutes until slightly translucent. Stir in the cooked asparagus, sausage, arugula, peppers and 4 Tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer all this to a large bowl (to stop the cooking) and mix gently until combined. Serve with Arugula flower garnishes (if you can find them) and Parmesan cheese.

30/30 - #22 Truffle Bacon Mac & Cheese

Every once and a while a recipe comes along that is so decadent, so savory, so amazing, that it requires me to "cheat." Well, its more like a reward than a "cheat". The magical thing about this recipe, #22 on my Top 30 list, is that it's a wife's ultimate secret weapon! Truffle Bacon Mac & Cheese.

I make this when I want to do something really sweet for the Hubby, or when I need to apologize for doing something really stupid. When I decided to come up with my top 30, I asked the Hubby if he had any contributions to the list. Before even blinking, he yelled "that awesome Mac & Cheese you make." He didn't even need to specify which one, the "awesome" said it all. 

We discovered this recipe close to five years ago in a WIRED magazine. Back during a time when we would disagree about what to make for dinner a lot. I was the one that did most of the planning and shopping, so I just made what I wanted, which Hubby protested a little bit. I claimed that I would make any recipe that he wanted me to make (thinking he wouldn't bother). The next day, he comes home with this Truffle Bacon Mac & Cheese recipe.

My first thought was, "no way am I making this!" The heavy cream and lack of green anything was enough to stop me. However, I had promised him, so I stayed true to my word. Little did I know that this recipe would become one of my favorite "rewards"! What is not to love about this, bacon, cheese, truffle flavors and more cheese! I will admit that I am not able to eat a lot of this anymore because of my tummy issues, but if you have an iron stomach like my Hubby does, you should make this NOW!

Enjoy #22 on my list! 

Truffle Bacon Mac & Cheese 

Recipe from Top Chef Ryan Scott
Yields: 8x12 baking dish

Unsalted butter
8 ounces macaroni pasta
1 cup cream
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups cold milk
3 slices sourdough bread, torn into small pieces
8 ounces grated provolone cheese
8 ounces grated Gruyère cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (or more)
2 shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Dash of hot sauce
1 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)


Preheat the oven to 375F and butter a large 8x12 baking dish. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions, drain and add into the baking dish along with 1/4 cup cream.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with 1/4 cup milk, then stir in the bread pieces and half the cheeses. Set this aside.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy and set aside, drain most of the grease, but not all. Sauté the shallots and garlic in the bacon grease and cook until slightly brown. Stir in the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook this for about 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining milk and cream to the skillet, stirring/whisking the entire time. Bring this mixture to a low boil and then remove from heat. Keep stirring/whisking until cooled down. Whisk in the remaining cheeses and hot sauce until well combined. Stir this into the macaroni in the large baking dish.

Add the bacon into the egg/bread mixture and then spread evenly over the pasta. Drizzle the truffle oil over the top of the macaroni mixture if using. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let the Mac & Cheese rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Recipe Roundup: Pumpkin and Pancetta Pasta

After last weeks pumpkin post, I had to re-group and get back to my health conscious ways! Every time I taste the pumpkin puree, even though I know what it tastes like, I am surprised at the lack of sweetness. When I think pumpkin, I think sweets (probably like most American's). The idea of pumpkin as being sweet is engrained in our minds. But in fact, pumpkin is not. Pumpkin in its cleanest, most naked form is rustic and savory....much like any winter squash. Oh right, pumpkin IS a squash!!

I decided to throw a curve ball on my Pumpkin Recipe Roundup and come up with a savory recipe. Ryan is not the biggest fan of winter squash, so I had to come up with something that he would like despite his dislike of squash consistency. Ok, ladies and gentlemen, here is a test of your Kettler Cuisine blog loyalty. What ingredient do I like to add to recipes so that my sweet husband will eat it......BACON!! That's right, but in a more gourmet fashion, pancetta was used in this one. 

I did a pasta bake, or baked ziti if you will. Cheese and bacon was bound to win my husband over. This recipe could easily be swapped with butternut squash or other winter squash. While pumpkin has a bit more of a mild flavor, butternut squash is a tad bit sweeter. However, in the spirit of Fall, and our society's massive obsession, I decided to highlight pumpkin....in true American fashion!!

Pumpkin and Pancetta Pasta

Yields: 6 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, divided

4 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed (about 1 sugar pie pumpkin)
olive oil
6 ounces pancetta, cubed
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces dried ziti pasta
5 cups kale, de-stemmed and chopped
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 T flour (for gluten free use corn starch or arrowroot)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup creme fraiche (or light cream cheese)
3/4 cup gruyere cheese, shredded (or sharp white cheddar cheese), divided

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and rub olive oil on the foil.

Combine the pumpkin and about 1 T olive oil in a large bowl and stir to evenly coat the pumpkin. Spread the pumpkin in an even layer on the baking sheet and cook at 400F for about 30 minutes or until tender. Set aside. Leave the oven at 400F and grease a 13x9" baking dish.

Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil, while prepping the pancetta and onion mixture.

In a large saute pan, cook the pancetta on medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving some of the drippings. Cook the red onion in the remaining drippings for about 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the garlic and 1/2 tsp salt and cook for another minute. Set this aside.

Once the pot of water starts to boil, cook the pasta until almost al dente (about 6-7 minutes). Add in the kale and cook for another minute and immediately strain and set aside.

In a sauce pan, bring 1 cup of vegetable broth to a boil. Take the remaining 1/4 cup of broth and mix with flour (or corn starch if doing a gluten free version) and stir into the boiling broth. Cook this for another 2 minutes, stirring continuously until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and all the creme fraiche in small batches until melted and the sauce is creamy. Remove from heat, a creamy cheese sauce will result.

In a large bowl stir the pumpkin, onion mixture, pancetta, pasta, kale and cheese sauce until evenly combined. Pour into a greased 13x9" baking dish and sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top. Cook for 25 minutes in a 400F oven until bubbly and slightly browned on top.

Light Macaroni Salad

We all know I can't resist a good recipe makeover!! Ryan and most of my friends like creamy- (a.k.a. mayonnaise) based salads. However, I have never been a huge fan of mayo, except for on a BLT sandwich. To make matters worse, creamy salads never agree with my stomach, although I do crave the creamy consistency sometimes. Ice cream is the thing that I miss the most! In addition to creamy, I try to stay away from gluten.

Although I don't have a huge problem with gluten, it is usually advised that people with Crohn's Disease should avoid it. After my diagnosis a few years ago, I researched and found various helpful sites, books, discussion boards and even a support group that Ryan and I frequented when my symptoms were bad. However, learning how to eat for my disease was a whole different story. Unfortunately, patients with Crohn's are all effected differently by different foods.

The best way for me to understand safe foods was to keep a food journal, which I did for the better part of a year. I learned a lot in that year, mostly the "trigger" foods. Anything fried was out of the question (although this wasn't too upsetting for me). Beets, popcorn, peanuts, ice cream and red meat are always painful. Corn, sugar-loaded things and creamy salads (tuna, chicken, creamy cole slaws) can trigger symptoms as well.

Recreating Delicious

As for the foods I had to leave behind, I learned how to substitute ingredients or recreate recipes so I didn't always have to miss out on great flavors. Comfy Belly is one of the blogs that I follow. The author focuses on healthy, healing recipes for her son with Crohn's. I like her recipes because they usually shy away from my trigger foods and include healing, power foods. I decided to try her macaroni salad, which I have not had in about three years. I made some changes and substituted greek yogurt for most of the mayo to cut down on the fat. I was secretive and didn't tell Ryan it was gluten free and light, to get his full reaction. He thought It was delicious!

I should point out that this is great for parties, but not tailgates in 85 degree weather! The creaminess of the pasta starts to break down in the sun and the gluten free pasta gets hard and clumps together.

I also had some the next day after all of the flavors melded together and it was delicious,  so this is a great make ahead side dish.

You can substitute whole wheat pasta or regular pasta in this recipe as well.

Light Macaroni Salad

Adapted from Comfy Belly

Yields: 4 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: Pasta cooking time

4 cups of cooked pasta (I used gluten-free pasta - Quinoa pasta)

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup of mayonnaise (can use low fat)

3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt (can use low fat)
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box. I reserved some of the pasta water just in case the dressing got too thick. Drain and rinse the pasta in cool water and set aside.

Mix the pepper, celery, mayo, yogurt, mustard, vinegar, honey, cayenne, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir in the pasta and mix to combine. Store the pasta salad in the refrigerator for at least and hour and up to overnight. Serve chilled.

Light Cajun Alfredo Sauce

My husband and I have been together for over 8 years and I can honestly say, I have never made Alfredo sauce for him, which is his favorite. I know, bad wife! I've never been a fan of cream sauces or making Alfredo sauce at home (usually I just get store bought and heat separate sauces for our pasta). 

Alfredo on the Light Side

In an effort to try to come up with a lighter version of Alfredo and one that I would enjoy as well, I thought about adding some spice.

Curry Broccoli and Couscous

Yay!! I am so happy to be back in the kitchen! July was a whirlwind of traveling to every corner of North Carolina and beyond. We had A LOT of great times with friends and family, by all the traveling messed with my weekly routine of training for the marathon, healthy eating and sleep! So when I actually had a day off of training and no errands to run after work the other day, I told Ryan that he could find me in the kitchen for the next 4 hours! I was so happy, cooking, taking pictures, blogging (and maybe drinking a martini or two). Ryan snapped this pic when I turned to get my camera!

Back in the Kitchen

I had several things on the docket for the evening cooking event:

• Cherry Chocolate Brownies - to be posted later
• Mango Black Bean Salsa for my weekend girls beach trip
• Roasted Red Pepper dip - to be posted later
• And dinner - a new Kettler creation - Curry Broccoli and Couscous

I believe I have mentioned this before, but Ryan and I LOVE Indian cuisine. We have our dear friends Dhruv and Karishma to thank for this. We kept telling them how we disliked Indian cuisine and one day Dhruv said, "We are going to cook you a traditional Indian meal, then we will see." Karishma made 7 or 8 dishes, and each of them blew us away! Ever since then, we have been hooked. Dining out, making our own curries, shopping at the local Indian market for better spices, yum! 

I started playing around with different types of sauces, spices and Indian flavors based on a cookbook I had bought. I am certainly no expert yet, but at least my dishes can keep the Hubby happy :)

So after a lot of basic American cooking this past month, I decided to change it up and try a new curry recipe starring Ryan's fav - broccoli. (And you know me, anytime I can get him to eat more veggies, I am happy)!

I started by chopping up all the vegetables, then played around with the sauce flavors. After about 3 attempts at the sauce, I finally was happy with the results. I then made the couscous, steamed the broccoli, sauteed the veggies and mixed everything together.

Curry Broccoli and Couscous

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 small broccoli heads, chopped into bite size florets

3 carrots, shredded (about 1 cup)

8 mushrooms of choice, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 small red onion, chopped (full 1 cup)

2 T ghee or butter

salt and pepper

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 cup plain dried couscous

salt

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
4 T olive oil
1 tsp agave or honey
1 tsp curry paste (we used red)
3 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup low fat milk

Optional - golden raisins for garnish

Start by chopping and shredding all the vegetables (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onion). Feel free to add in other vegetables of choice as well. I like to chop and cut all the ingredients first before cooking, so I am ready for steps when needed.

Steam the broccoli florets. I like to use a microwave steamer for ease, but anyway you can steam them is fine. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, agave/honey, curry paste, curry powder and milk together. Whisk well until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Set the curry sauce aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil, then add the couscous and a pinch of salt. Quickly stir this, remove from the heat and cover the saucepan. The couscous will be done in about 5 minutes, at which point you can fluff the couscous.

Once the couscous is cooking, start sauteing the vegetables. In a large saute pan, melt the ghee or butter and add the onions. Saute the onions for about 2-3 minutes and add in the shredded carrots. 

Cook this for another 2-3 minutes and add the mushrooms (and any other raw vegetables except the steamed broccoli). Let this saute for about 5 minutes until cooked down. Add in the broccoli and curry sauce and lower the heat to medium-low. Stir to combine all the ingredients and cook on low for about 5 minutes to incorporate the flavors. 

To serve, either add in the couscous to the vegetable mixture or serve the vegetable mixture over the couscous. Either way, it is delicious with some Naan and mango chutney! Ryan likes to add some heat, so he has a hot garlic chutney that Dhruv had recommended.

*Note, if you like more sauce, just double the recipe, except for the vegetables.

*Note, this can easily be served over quinoa or other gluten-free grain for specific dietary needs. I put the leftovers over lettuce and it was a fantastic salad for lunch!

Sweet Potato Pasta with Crispy Kale

There are three things that Ryan won't touch - sweet potatoes, coconuts and beets. Since all of these are in my fav list, I only cook with them when he is out of town. I have tried everything to get him to like these ingredients, but he won't budge! 

Well, lucky for me, Ryan was going out of town and my bestie Meg was coming over for a girls night.

Crispy kale.

I decided to make dinner with one of the "Hubby-hated" ingredients. I came across this creamy sweet potato pasta dish on How Sweet It Is a few weeks ago that I wanted to try. Since Meg and I had a run the next morning and I was on a kale-kick - this recipe was perfect!

Look at that creamy goodness!

With cosmos poured and creamy sweet potato pasta with crispy kale in hand - let girls night commence!