Elk Sausage Spring Pasta

It's spring!

Our local Food Co-op (Seward Market) makes their own sausages with locally sourced meat and other ingredients. They're pricey, but so delicious you'll go back for more. This month, the special was Elk Sausage with Mushrooms and Cranberries.

We decided to mix it up with other spring offerings that we were so glad to see after our extra long Minnesota winter.

In a large pan, cook sausages until almost done (any fine sausage will do).

To the pan, add:

1 bunch of chard, one bunch of ramps (yay spring!), a head of cauliflower, some minced garlic, and any other green vegetable you might be so inclined to add, in the large pan with a little added butter and olive oil.

We had planned to have slices of sausage in this, but the casings fell apart, so it looks more like ground meat, but the sausage juices added all the extra flavoring we needed.

Once the vegetables are soft, de-glaze the pan with a little white wine to make a nice sauce.

Serve over the pasta of your choice and top with Parmesan cheese.

Broiled Cod Steaks

This sauce is so good I was literally licking the pan. Adapted from a James Beard recipe. Makes me hungry just reading the recipe!

4 cod steaks (or other firm white fish), about 1 inch thick

Basting mixture:

1/2 c melted butter

2 T grated onion

2 T lemon juice

1/4 chili sauce (homemade ketchup)

1 t tarragon

1 t paprika

2 T chopped parsley

Rub the steaks well with salt. Combine remaining ingredients and brush the mixture on one side of each steak. Place the steaks on a well-oiled broiler rack and broil about 4 inches away from the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn, brush well with the butter mixture, and broil another five minutes, basting once more during the cooking period. Transfer to a hot platter. Serve with tiny boiled new potatoes and chopped buttered spinach, and if you like, drink a pleasant Pinot Blanc.

Spinach Potato casserole

I'm sorry I don't have a picture of these delicious potatoes, but they're a great make-ahead side dish that will be making an appearance at our next Thanksgiving dinner!

6 medium poataoes

2 t salt

1/4 t white pepper

1 c sour cream

1/4 lb butter

2 tsp chives

1/4 t dill

1 10 oz package frozen spinach, cooked and well drained

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Cook and mash potatoes. Add salt, pepper and a little milk. Add sour cream and butter. Beat until fluffy. Add chives, dill and spinach. Mix and place in a buttered casserole dish. Top with cheese and bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Can be made a day ahead, or frozen ... put cheese on top just before baking.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

These are the first pancakes I've had where I don't feel a huge blood-sugar rush right after eating. They're wonderful and filling. Recipe is adapted from one a friend gave us, but I don't have the original source.








My daughter likes the "Baby" version of everything:

3/4 c quick-cooking oats (regular are fine as well, just let them soak a bit longer)

1 1/2 c plus 2 T well-shaken buttermilk, divided

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

3/4 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/8 t nutmeg

1/2 t salt

1 lg egg

2 T butter melted

1 t packed brown sugar

Soak oats in 3/4 c buttermilk for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and slat in a large bowl. Stir egg, butter, brown sugar, remaining 3/4 c plus 2 T buttermilk and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just completed. Cook pancakes.

Lentil Curry

My family loves just about any dish served over rice, as you'll be able to see from a large majority of the recipes I post here. This one is a favorite of mine because I adore curry and lentils too! Lentil + curry... it just makes sense! It is very addicting and much tastier than you could ever imagine by looking at it so do yourself a favor and make it. Your welcome!

Lentil Curry

Rinse 2 cups of lentils and then soak them in cold water for 20 minutes. Then cook until soft. (About 40-60 minutes.) Strain and set aside.

1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, minced

Saute the above in a couple of tablespoons of healthy oil (EVOO, grapeseed or coconut) until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add:

2 Tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1 28 oz can Muir Glen Fire roasted diced tomatoes

Allow to simmer for 5 minutes and add lentils. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Add pre-cooked sausages if desired. Serve over jasmine rice.

Cucumber Basil Smoothie

Blender Magic.

2 handfuls of Basil leaves
1/2 large cucumber or 1 whole smallish cucumber
1 mango
1 cup green grapes
1/2 cup orange juice
Ice

Blend until smooth and add enough ice to make it the desired consistency and temperature.

Spicy Beef Pineapple Curry

I started out making Melanie's Coconut Pineapple Chicken Curry. It is delicious and I've eaten it made by Melanie herself. However, I decided to tweak a few things to fit our family's tastes and to match what I had on hand. Turns out that I changed enough of the recipe around it became something different, warranting its own recipe.

1 lb stew beef pieces
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons curry powder
One batch of almond milk leftover puree* or 1/4 cup of nut flour
1/2 cup of flour (I used sorghum flour)
1 Tablespoon Turmeric
cayenne to taste
Coconut oil for pan frying

1 onion chopped (chop small if you have children who aren't fans)
1 green pepper chopped (same as above applies)
4-7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 can of coconut milk
1 small package of frozen corn (optional, add whichever vegetables sound good to you)
1 small package of frozen peas (optional)
1/2 fresh pineapple, chopped (save the rest in the freezer for smoothies.)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 Tblsp corn starch


Mix spices and flours in a large container. Add meat and shake to coat the pieces evenly. Brown the coated meat in coconut oil on medium high. Remove from pan. Cook onion, pepper, garlic and ginger until browned. Return meat to pan. Add remaining ingredients except cornstarch. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Add some water to cornstarch and add to mixture to thicken.

Serve with brown rice.


*I make almond milk with my Vitamix. I use one cup of almonds and 4 cups of water. After it's blended, I strain the solids out to leave the milk. I then dehydrate the solids and granulate to use as a breading.