Cauliflower-Kale Pasta with Sausage

This one is for those with some confidence, since you'll be sauteeing two things at a time. Which also means it's lots of fun to cook. Shawni and I made this up together and we had this locked down no problem, of course. :)


Ingredients:

1 T cooking oil
4 precooked sausages, sliced in half lengthwise and cut 1/2" thick

2 T cooking oil
1 yellow onion, medium diced (1/2" on a side)
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled & sliced
1 bu kale ribs removed & cut bite-sized
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 C water

2 C walnuts, chopped coarsely

1 lb. fresh pasta (linguine or fettuccine would work well)

1 lemon, juiced.

Instructions: (read these through a couple of times before you start)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Start a large pot of salted (ocean salty) water boiling over high heat. Start two large saute pans heating over hight heat and add 1 T cooking oil to one pan and 2 T to the other. To the pan with 1 T oil, add the sausage; to the other, add the cauliflower.
3. Brown the sausage and the cauliflower each for about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage and set aside. Reduce the cauliflower's heat to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. If both saute pans are unburned (no black stuff on the bottom, just brown stuff), deglaze one and add to the sausage or cauliflower (doesn't matter). Heat the other one (or the unburned one, if one got scorched) over medium-high heat and add the last 2 T cooking oil. Add the onion and cook 3- minutes, then add the garlic and kale, and season with salt & pepper. Cook another 7-8 minutes, add 1/2 C water and cook until the water is cooked out.
5. Roast the walnuts for 5-7 minutes or until browned & aromatic.
6. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package, drain and combine with all the other & remaining ingredients. Taste for seasoning & serve.

Broccoflower Potato Salad (V, if you don't add the sausage)

Sorry to say it like this, but if you can't have fun with this vegetable, I feel deeply sad for you.


Cooking skills focus: Roasting, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
1 1/2# baby red potatoes, cut in half
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper TT

2 T olive oil
1 # crimini mushrooms, sliced in half and thickly sliced
salt and pepper TT

4 sausages, cut or pulled into chunks 1/2" inch on a side

2 t maple syrup
3 T olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 C water
1/2 bu parsley, chopped finely.
salt and pepper TT
1 T Togarashi spice blend

2 heads broccoflower, diced small (1/4" on a side)
1 Fuji apple, diced medium (1/2" on a side)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss the potatoes with the first 2 T olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 35 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms with the second 2 T olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until brown and slightly crispy. Set aside.
4. Roast the sausage in the oven for 20 minutes or until well browned. Set aside
5. Whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper, Togarashi and parsley.
6. Toss the dressing over the broccoflower and apple in a large bowl. Add the mushrooms and potatoes, toss and serve with the sausage as an optional topping.

Stuffed Potatoes Two Ways

The two ways are: (1) Vegan, and (2) Decidedly not vegan. So you get to please everybody.

Well, except picky eaters, but you didn't invite them anyway.

Makes: a lot

Ingredients:
12 medium red or yellow potatoes, cut in half
3 T cooking oil
salt & pepper TT

3/4 lb mushrooms, washed & sliced thinly
2 T cooking oil
plenty of salt & pepper TT
1/2 pt cherry tomatoes, diced
1 t red wine vinegar

2 T cooking oil
2 shallots, peeled & sliced
2 bu mustard greens, washed & rough chopped
1 head garlic, peeled & sliced thinly
4 ears corn, shucked & kernels cut off the cob
salt & pepper TT
1 t mustard

1 t cooking oil
2 Merguez sausages, diced
2 other sausage (we used sausage made from BAAAAAACON *droooool*)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss the potatoes in 3 T cooking oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on sheet pans and begin to roast for 25-30 minutes or until golden and soft inside.
3. Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms with the 2 T cooking oil, salt and pepper and begin to roast in the oven for 20 minutes. When done, toss with the tomatoes and vinegar.
4. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat and add 2 T cooking oil. Add the shallots and brown for 2 minutes. hen add the mustard greens and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the corn and cook another 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide into two parts and add the mustard to one part.
5. Heat the sauté pan again over high heat and add the last 1 t cooking oil. Add the diced sausage and cook until done and slightly crispy.
6. When they're cool enough to handle, scoop out a divot from each potato half to make room for the filling. Reserve the potato for another use like meat or vegetable hash, or a pureed soup.
7. For the vegan potatoes, layer from the bottom: corn/mustard greens (w/o mustard), then mushroom/tomato. For the meat ones: corn/mustard greens (w/ mustard), then sausage.

Cucumber & Sausage Green Salad

Ingredients:
1 t cooking oil
2 sausages, diced (I used smoked chicken pesto sausages.. any would be fine)
1 lemon, juiced
salt & pepper TT
1 T olive oil
4 Persian cucumbers (I found these at Trader Joe's... you could use one English cucumber instead)
3 C or so salad greens

Instructions:
1. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the cooking oil.
2. Saute the sausage until well-browned and then remove to cool.
3. Add the lemon juice to the pan with a bit of salt & pepper and the 1 T olive oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and mix to incorporate; this is your salad dressing.
4. Combine all the ingredients when the sausage is pretty cool. Serve as-is or with bread.