Sausage, White Bean, and Spinach Stew

I saw this recipe in the most recent issue of Womans Day magazine and thought it looked pretty good. I decided to make it for dinner tonight. It was so delicious! I made a few changes, which I will post at the end (mostly changes to suit the hubby's picker eater palate). You can make this low carb by using Dreamfields Pasta. Chcek them out here...http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/

Sausage, White bean, and Spinach Stew

1 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz cooked turkey Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 thick coins
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup dry white wine (I left this out)
32 oz chicken broth
4 oz (approx 1 cup) uncooked small pasta (I used elbows)
15 oz can of white beans, rinsed (I used great white northern beans)
10 oz raw spinach with thick stems removed (I used frozen spinach)
Parmesean cheese

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausage and set aside.
2. Add garlic to the pan and cook, but do not let brown. Add wine (if using, if not just skip this step) and allow to simmer for 1 minute.
3. Add broth and pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer a few minutes less than recommended on package of pasta (eg- my elbows said to cook 8 minutes, so I simmered for 5 minutes).
4. Add beans, sausage and cook until heated through and pasta cooked. Remove from heat and stir in spinach until wilted.
Serve with parmesean.

I left out the wine because my hubby doesn't like cooking with wine. I also used frozen spinach (the hubby didn't want any spinach in his stew). I heated it in the microwave according to the directions and stirred a scoopful into my bowl along with my serving of soup.
This soup was a real hit!

Homemade Oyster Crackers

I decided to make skyline chili again, and usually it is served with a bowl of oyster crackers. I don't have any in the house, because either I will gobble them down (not great for my waistline) or they will go to waste. I decided to try my hand at making them. They are pretty delicious, however, they lack that air bubble in the middle that makes them so endearing. They have a yummy flavor and go great with the Skyline Chili knockoff recipe.

Oyster crackers

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp milk

1. In the bowl of a food processor combine flour, baking powder, salt. Add butter and pulse mealy (mine didn't really get too mealy, so if yours doesn't, don't worry too much about it). Add the milk pulse. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator about 10 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F

3. On a floured surface, roll the dough out until desired thickness. Cut the crackers into desired shapes and place on baking sheet (don't need to spray the pan).

4. Bake at 375 F for approx 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy with chili or soup!

Bonefish Grill

This weekend I was really wanting to try something new instead of eating at the same old restaurant. My hubby suggested we try Bonefish Grill. This really shocked me because 1) my hubby doesn't eat much seafood, 2) hubby is allergic to shrimp, 3) hubby is afraid to try new places. I was concerned it might be too expensive. but I decided to give it a go because it was either that or pizza again.
By the time we made a decision and actually got to the restaurant I was starving to put it lightly. I was so hoping for some bread, but being a seafood restaurant I was doubtful there would be any. I was pleasantly surprised when not only bread, but that yummy olive oil/herb dip showed up! SO delicious!
The menu has a little bit of something for everyone. They are known for their Bang Bang shrimp appetizer. I tried it on my second visit (yes I went a second time one week later) and while I liked the flavor, I don't think I could finish the whole appetizer. It is a spicy fried shrimp that does not have a whole lot of coating that is served in a spicy creamy sauce.
For my meal, I decided to go with wood fire grilled shrimp and scallops. I love scallops and cannot seem to make them at home. Bonefish has a seasonal side and you get the choice of one side. Their seasonal side was a succotash. Succotash just does not sound very appealing, but I decided to go with it and have herbed jasmine rice with it. You also get to choose dipping sauces. I went with the lemon butter, chimichurri, and the asian sauce. My hubby decided to go with a Kobe burger which came with home made potato chips. When the meal came, it was very visually appealing. I, of course had to taste the burger. Delicious! So flavorful. The hubby was in burger heaven. Then I went to tackle my plate. The shrimp and scallops were cooked to perfection. The lemon butter sauce was as expected and tasty. The chimichurri sauce was an herby, slightly spicy sauce and oh so good. The asian inspired sauce was like a barbeque sauce flavor and overwhelmed the flavor of the shrimp and scallops. Now, on to the succotash. It was a succotash made with bacon, onion, corn, and edemame. Let me say, that after tasting it, I decided there was not nearly enough succotash on my plate. YUM!!!
After all of that delectable food, I was stuffed! However, we were at a new place and there was a coconut dessert on the menu (Jen's coconut pie) so we decided we had to go for it. The pie was the perfect ending to an awesome meal. There was just a small amount of custard, lots of yummy coconut and served with a coconut rum glaze. So good.
One week after eating at Bonefish I was craving it again. I thought I might try something new, but my meal was so good, I got the same thing again. I was not disappointed in the least!
Needless to say, we will be frequent diners at Bonefish!

Margarita Chicken

Chilis was having this awesome deal last week. $35 for an appetizer, 2 meals, 2 margaritas (top shelf I might add), and a dessert. My hubby really wanted to go, and although I looked forward to the yummy feast, I didn't want to go crazy with all of those calories (not such a good advertisement for Chilis, but I think I gained 2 pounds after eating all that yumminess). I usually go for the Chicken Fajitas, but decided instead to have the Margarita Grilled Chicken this time at the recommendation of the waiter. He said it wouldn't "weigh me down." Oh my it was SO delicious and I have been craving it ever since. That is why I decided to try to recreate it. Mine is not exactley like theirs. If you Google (or Bing, or Dogpile....whatever search you like to use) a copycat recipe, they use margarita mix. I wanted to avoid the temptation of having margarita mix in the house, so I decided to make it from scratch. The meal was very tasty! I will definitley make it again.

Margarita Chicken

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half NOTE- almost like butterflying, but seperate the pieces (to make them thinner so they cook more evenly and quicker)
Salt and pepper
Zest of 2 limes
Juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp honey
1-2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp triple sec (optional)
1 Tbsp tequila (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine the zest, lime juice, honey, 1 tsp brown sugar, triple sec and tequila. Taste. If too sour, add more brown sugar and stir to combine.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken in marinade and allow to marinate approximately 30 minutes.

3. Preheat grill (or grill pan which is what I used). Cook chicken until done.

I served mine over rice and beans (just like Chilis)!