Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

Sean found this recipe from Food & Wine, and while last year's Thanksgiving stuffing was delicious, we decided to change it up this year with a cornbread recipe.  With the unique addition of roasted poblano peppers, this seemed like a perfect one to try.  We made the cornbread a couple days ahead of time to cut down on the Thanksgiving day preparations.  The flavor of the stuffing was so delicious- a little sweet from the cornbread, and extra savory from the country sausage and vegetable combination.  It was a big hit! 

Ingredients:

• corn bread (made in one 13x9 sized baking dish) We used the recommended country corn bread recipe, but you could also do a box mix. 
• 4 medium poblano chiles
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium celery ribs, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 pound coarsely ground country sausage meat or breakfast sausage without casings
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup turkey or chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth

Directions:
Break the corn bread into 1-inch pieces and spread on a baking sheet.  Let it dry out for 4 hours (or longer).  We put ours in a barely warm oven for 30 minutes or so to help it dry out faster.  

Heat the broiler and place the poblanos on a foil covered baking sheet.  Roast them until the skin is charred and bubbly on both sides, flipping as needed.  Remove from the oven and fold up the sides of the foil creating a pouch around the peppers.  This will help sweat the skins off so they'll be easier to remove.  After 15-20 minutes, peel the skins off and remove the seeds.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt the butter until foaming. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. 

Add the sausage, breaking it up, and cook until no pink remains.

Stir in the oregano, salt, pepper and poblanos, and finally mix in the corn bread.  Stir in the turkey/chicken stock.

Spread the stuffing in a large buttered casserole dish.  Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer until the top is a golden-brown.  You can also make this ahead of time and refrigerate for 1-2 days before baking.  This was so flavorful and delicous with our Thanksgiving dinner.  The leftovers also made a great savory breakfast!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is always a sign that fall is officially here, and one of the best ways to enjoy it is roasted and pureed into a creamy soup.  Roasting the squash really brings out the sweetness and gives it a much richer flavor.  The potatoes and carrots add some extra body to the soup, and a little condensed apple cider brings in some additional flavor and sweetness.  I also added a bottle of beer  The soup is rounded out with a spoonful of sour cream.  This goes great with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and would also be delicious with some crumbled bacon on top. 
Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash, halved vertically
• 2 potatoes, cut into a 1/2 inch dice
• 2 carrots, cut to same size as potatoes
• 1 celery stalk, sliced thinly
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 apples, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons peeled minced ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bottle of beer (lager or octoberfest)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• sour cream
• salt and pepper
• olive oil 
 

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and place the squash, open-side up on the tray.  Scoop out the seeds if you haven't done so already.  Brush or drizzle the squash with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  

When the oven is heated, roast the squash for about 40-50 minutes or until you can easily pierce through it with a fork. Remove and let cool until it is no longer too hot to handle.

While the squash is roasting, start to prepare the other vegetables.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot.  Add the potato, carrot, onion, and celery.  Sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic, ginger, and apple and cook for 5 minutes longer.

Pour in the beer and cook until liquid is reduced by half, then add the chicken broth and cider.

When you can handle the squash, slice the meat into cubes without piercing through the skin, and then scoop out the flesh and add to the pot. 

 

 Stir to incorporate the squash, and then add the nutmeg.  Taste for salt and pepper.

Simmer the soup, covered, until the vegetables are tender.  In two or three batches, puree the soup in your blender until smooth.  

Return to the pot and keep hot until ready to serve.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Baked Mahi Mahi with Cilantro-Chile sauce

Cooking fish in a parchment packet is super easy, and a great way to impart flavor into your fish.  The fish comes out moist and delicious every time!  I like to cook the vegetables separately first to bring some of the flavor out before they cook with the fish.  You can really use any veggie combo you like, as long as you cut it so that it will fit nicely under the fish.  

 Ingredients:

• 2 six oz boneless mahi mahi filets
• 1 orange, juiced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons oregano, minced 
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and roughly diced (leave seeds in for extra heat)
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced into 4-inch strips
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Rinse and dry your fish.  Cut into two equal portions if you have one large filet.  In a zip-lock bag, combine the fish with the oregano and orange juice.  Let it marinate for 30 minutes.  

Meanwhile, in a food processor combine the jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon oil.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Mix until a chunky sauced is formed.  

When the fish is done marinating, remove the filets and pat them dry.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, onion, and the rest of the fish marinade that was in the bag.  Sprinkle in some salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened slightly and are infused with the orange flavor.  

Prepare two pieces of parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Each sheet of paper should be about three times as big as the fish.  Place a generous portion of the carrot and onion mixture onto the center of each sheet.  

Next place the fish on top. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and then spoon the cilantro-chile sauce on top until the fish is fully covered.  

Fold the parchment paper and form a packet- tying with a piece of butcher's twine.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove and let sit for a couple minutes before opening your packages.  We served this with quinoa for a delicious and healthy meal.

 

Curried Chicken and Pasta Salad

We had tons of leftover cooked chicken after I roasted two whole chickens a few days ago.  There were many chicken dishes created in the days following including enchiladas and chicken soup.  With the last bit we decided to make a chicken salad, but didn't have quite enough to make a decent sized batch.  So we cooked some pasta to mix in, and it ended up tasting quite delicious with the curry-mayo dressing.  The raisins add sweetness and I threw some carrots in there for an extra crunch.  The recipe itself came from Ina Garten- I only made a few minor changes.  This is a great dish to make ahead for a potluck or to pack and take for lunch.

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
3 cups elbow pasta cooked in salted water (about 1 1/2 cup dry- though I didn't measure mine)
2 large stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 3)
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup mayonaisse (homemade always good!)
1 tablespoon madras curry powder (if you use a less powerful curry powder you may want to use more)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chutney (I used something closer to a sweet relish because it was all I had on hand)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1/4 cup roasted salted cashews

Directions:
Combine chicken, green onion, celery, raisins,and carrot in a large bowl.  Place pasta in a separate bowl.  Set aside.  

To make sauce, combine mayonaisse, curry powder, wine, chutney, cayenne, and at least 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Stir until well combined.  

Pour a couple large spoonfuls over the pasta and stir until all of the noodles have been coated.  Add the chicken and vegetable mixture and spoon additional sauce into the mixture.  Stir, and continue to add more sauce if it looks too dry.  My carrots were an afterthought as you can see they were mixed in later.

You may not end up needing all of the sauce, so don't add it all at once.  Taste and add black pepper and more salt to taste.  Sprinkle in cashews before serving.