In our efforts to keep not only ourselves, but the rest of the world healthy in a tasty way, we'll be sharing our recipes with you on this site. Check back often to see what's for supper!
Shellfish Free Gumbo
Three of us had fun putting this together. It's FUN as a team sport!
Ingredients:
1 precooked chicken from the grocery store (or 2 pounds cooked thigh meat)
1 package roasted red pepper & garlic chicken sausage
1/2 pound of white fish
Cajon/Creole seasoning (or make your own out of adobo, cayenne, and black pepper)
1 cup flour
1 cup of butter
2 diced bell peppers (we used orange and red)
1 diced yellow onion
1/2 cup diced celery
Fresh garlic to taste
Fired dried tomatoes (optional)
Fresh or frozen pea pods (optional)
8 oz. okra (optional - we couldn't find any)
6-8 cups chicken broth
I was once told that gumbo can contain pretty much anything, so if you feel like something you enjoy would add to the flavor, go ahead and throw it in the pot!
Dice the sausage and fish, set aside
Shred the chicken (throw away skin and bones) and set aside
Dice onion, peppers, and celery and set aside in separate bowls
Place your pot on the stove on low heat
Melt 1 cup butter
Add flour in slowly and keep using the whisk so you don't get lumps
When nice and thick add the chicken broth. Keep stirring!
Add the peppers, onion and celery
Crush or chop garlic (to taste) and add
In a separate large skillet, melt a little butter on the bottom, then add all of the meat. Your oven should be just hot enough to sauté the ingredients to a nice brown color
Add meat to soup mixture, stirring gently the entire time
Add seasoning to taste
Put the pot on simmer and let cook at least a half an hour. 40 minutes to an hour is even better.
Eat over rice, noodles, or all by itself. It gets better as a leftover!
(We got such rave reviews from the following recipe that we're leaving it up!)
Spaghetti Pie
6 ounces of spaghetti (or one small box if you want 2 pies)
2 -4 tablespoons butter (plus enough to coat your pie pans)
1 -2 cups parmesan cheese (I go heavy on this!)
2 -4 well-beaten eggs (4 if making 2 pies)
1-2 cups cottage cheese (enough to well cover the bottom of your pie)
1-2 pounds ground Italian sausage (1 pound per pie)
1 small chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper (or your favorite color choice!)
2 chopped fresh tomatoes
1/4 - 1/2 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1-2 teaspoons sugar
Italian seasoning to taste
1/2 - 1 teaspoon chopped garlic (or to taste)
Cook the spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Stir butter into hot spaghetti (2 tablespoons for 1 pie, 4 tablespoons for 2). Stir in 1/3 - 2/3 cups parmesan cheese and 2 - 4 eggs (lower amounts for 1 pie and higher amounts for 2). Form spaghetti mixture into a "crust" in the bottom of deep pie pan(s). Spread cottage cheese over bottom of spaghetti crust. Set aside.
While spaghetti is cooking, in large skillet cook sausage, onion and bell pepper until vegetables are tender and meat is browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in chopped tomatoes, sugar (to taste), Italian seasoning, and 1/4 -1/2 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Be careful to not put in too much as you don't want the mixture to be runny. I like to add some extra parmesan cheese into this mixture also. If it looks too runny this will help thicken it up.
Turn the meat mixture into the spaghetti crust. Split evenly if making two pies. Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the left over parmesan cheese on top. Put back in the now turned off oven for another 5 minutes until the cheese melts. Each pie serves 6 - 8. Left overs are FABULOUS!
(Wonderful with a green salad on the side!)
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