Shrimp, Sausage, Red Beans & Rice

Now that it's colder outside, and work is keeping me super busy, I've been focusing on more hearty meals that supply leftovers. Seeing Aidell's sausages in stock at Gluten Free Specialty was my inspiration- I love the chicken and apple sausage, and so I took a little bit of everything in the house, only having to pick up a couple items, and made a new recipe from Carol Fenster's 1,000 recipes. To me the dish was almost like a simple version of paella, and it was delicious.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 adiell's sausages- chicken and apple
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice, or handful cherry tomatoes
1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh basil
1 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 lb medium shrimp
2 cups cooked rice- your choice
fresh cilantro to garnish










Directions

1. Heat oil in pan, and saute onion and peppers.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, garlic, and herbs.
3. Add shrimp and sausage.
4. Mix in cooked rice.
5. Season to taste with salt, and pepper.

Pg 267

Baked Apple Side Dish

The weather man and I must have been on the same wavelength and not even know it. It rained in Sacramento on Sunday and I had previously planned to make baked pork chops and baked apples. Sounds like the perfect fall dinner, doesn't it? Especially when your dining table is right next to a window, and you can get a whiff of fresh rain-scented air while still feeling the heat from the oven, with the taste of cinnamon and savory pork on your fork.

I remember going to Boston Market once (years ago before I was gluten free) with my sister and eating roasted chicken with baked apples and some sort of biscuit. What stood out in the meal for me were the apples. I love baked apples. Apple cobbler and pie are my fall friends, and this apple side dish is close, but a slightly more savory variety. Well, at least it is supposed to be. My husband thought it was a little sweet, but let's be honest, I added a little extra sugar because I'm a sugar addict. Sorry hun.

Anyhow if you must omit the raisins or the nuts, but they really added to this great dish.

Ingredients

6 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup white sugar, but you could use honey or agave to sweeten too
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (I used Almond milk)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place apples in a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and ginger.
4. Stir spice mixture into apples until evenly distributed.
5. Fold in raisins and walnuts.
6. Spoon into prepared dish.
7. Pour milk evenly over apple mixture.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until soft and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Pork Chops in Mushroom Sauce

I found myself coming home from work around 9pm one night last week, and discovered my husband standing in front of the stove, making up some pork chops for us. When I was a kid dinner was around 5pm, and now life gets in the way, and I've become really flexible with what time dinner is going to be. I'm thankful my husband was willing to stand at the stove and make these delicious pork chops after we both had had a 12+ hour work day.

Ingredients
4 boneless pork chops
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 OZ sliced mushrooms
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 Tbsp parsley
1/2 cup gluten free chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 TBSP water
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions
1. Heat Oil; add pork and lightly brown both sides. Set aside.
2. Add mushrooms to skillet; saute.
3. Stir in seasoning.
4. Add broth.
5. Return pork to pan, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Stir in cornstarch mixture and slowly stir into juices around pork; stir until it thickens.
7. Stir in sour cream.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops

Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup apple juice
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tsp ground ginger
Salt, pepper, garlic to taste
4 boneless pork chops









Directions
1. Combine brown sugar, apple juice, oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt, and pepper.
2. Reserve 1/4 cup of liquid. Set aside.
3. Pour liquid over pork chops and marinade for 2-3 hours.
4. Grill on medium high for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once.
5. Meanwhile, using reserved liquid, thicken over high heat by adding in 1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot premixed with 2 Tbsp water.
6. Serve with remaining sauce.

Delicious Pork Chops

We don't eat pork too often, but for dinner last night we had some thin-cut boneless pork chops. I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to do with them, and since I have been working a lot of hours lately, I left it up to my husband. I came home from work to find him grilling up some delicious pork chops.

Marinade:
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp apple juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Tabasco (or Oli's Sweet 'n Spicy Sauce)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt

Meat:
4 boneless pork chops or 6 bone in pork chops

1. Mix up marinade ingredients.
2. Place the chops in a bowl and pour in marinade.
3. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
4. Allow the chops to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
5. Grill over direct medium heat for 6-8 for boneless, or 8-10 for bone-in.

Tweaked from Weber's Real Grilling

The Other White Meat

We don't normally eat "the other white meat" too often because pork tends to run on the dry side, but every now and then I luck out and eat some pork that's nice and juicy. I bought some thick-cut, boneless pork chops and tried out a new recipe. I forgot to take a picture of these moist and delicious chops, but after a long stressful day dinner was extremely satisfying to the taste buds. I added in about 6 tbsp of Oli's Sweet 'n Spicy Sauce, but the basic recipe itself I'm sure is pretty tasty; the Sweet 'n Spicy Sauce just adds a nice tangy kick to it.

Ingredients
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp apple juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 boneless pork chops

Directions
1. Whisk together all the ingredients except the pork chops.
2. Pork marinade over pork chops and store in refrigerator for 24 hours. (I suppose you could marinade them for 4-6 hours, but the longer the better).
3. When ready to cook, grill (or broil) pork chops over medium heat, about 8-10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees.

Tweaked from Weber's Grilling pg 131