Spicy Turkey Tikka

This meal may sound strange, and that's because it is! I've never heard of any Indian food that uses sausage, in this case, TURKEY sausage. Since we LOVE tikka masala sauce, and happened to have most of the ingredients, we decided to pair it with some of that sausage we had in the freezer. The outcome = genius. We absolutely loved the heat in this dish, and the flavor combination of the Indian spices with the turkey sausage was to die for. To keep things guilt-free, we skipped the heavy ingredients and went with a couple of "coconut" based replacements! 

This would be a perfect post-workout meal on a chilly evening! Kind of reminds me of an ethnic chili (minus beans)!

Hot Italian Turkey Sausage Tikka Masala 

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 package of hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

2 green peppers, cubed (about 1 inch)

2-4 jalapenos (leave seeds in for extra heat), diced

1 onion, cubed

1 package of sliced mushrooms

1 large can of tomato sauce (28 oz.) - we love Dei Fratelli Products!

1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)

1-2 cups of coconut milk

1.5 tspn garam masala

1 tspn cumin

Salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 tspn crushed red pepper

1/2 tspn cayenne or chili powder (I used chipotle chili powder for the heat)

2 tbsn coconut oil

Steps:
1. Heat 2 table spoons of coconut oil over medium heat.

2. Pan fry the turkey sausage, casings removed, until browned all over. Remove from heat and slice thinly into disks. Return to pan and continue frying until browned (or until you reach your desired crispiness). Remove, drain, and set aside.

3. In the same pan, saute the onion, mushrooms, peppers, and jalapenos until onions become translucent. *Feel free to add minced garlic!

4. Add all of the dry spices and stir until fragrant (Be generous with the salt/pepper, maybe start with 1/2 tsp of each).

5. Pour in tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Stir occasionally until bubbling. (

6. Turn the heat to medium low, and slowly stir in the coconut milk until you reach your desired color. 

7. Taste the sauce with a bite of sausage to determine if you'd like to add any spices (remember, the sausage will add heat). 

Serve with bread, preferably naan; garlic naan :) 
Optional: Serve over rice.

Yum!

Spicy Shrimp Cacciatore

Spicy Shrimp Cacciatore

Servings: 4

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

12 oz. shrimp (frozen, cooked, small or medium) - fresh shrimp is even better!

1 jar of Classico pasta sauce (we used the triple mushroom)

4 bell peppers (multiple colors, medium to large)

16 oz. of whole mushrooms (white or baby bella)

1 medium spanish onion

5 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon Oregano 

1/2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper 

1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt or your favorite seasoning salt (we used Italian seasoning w/parmesan cheese used for dipping oils).

Optional: 

Pasta (vermicelli, angel hair, spaghetti)

Grated parmesan cheese

Garlic bread

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and prep mushrooms by rinsing, trimming stems, tossing in olive oil and your favorite seasoning salt.

2. Prep onions and peppers by chopping into bite-sized squares.

3. Spread whole mushrooms on a foiled baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. When finished, set aside.

4. Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil) on MEDIUM heat in a 12" or larger skillet (make sure it's deep). 

5. Saute chopped peppers, onions, crushed red pepper, oregano, and seasoning salt until they become tender. 

6. Next add minced garlic and allow to cook for one minute.

7. Now add the sauce to the peppers and onions, turn heat to MEDIUM LOW, and cook for five minutes stirring occasionally.

8. Thaw your shrimp by running cool water over them in a colander. If you are using fresh shrimp, peel and devein. 

9. Stir thawed shrimp and baked mushrooms into the sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes until everything is heated through. If using uncooked shrimp, cook the shrimp separately before adding to sauce (pan fried works fine. Be careful of overcooking.).

You're ready to eat your Spicy Shrimp Cacciatore over a bed of pasta, with garlic bread, or on it's own - just top your serving with grated parmesan cheese and VOILA!

Enjoy!

Chicken Veggie Penne

Post Dog-Beach Day Dinner…

Healthy, hearty & delicious! This is a perfect meal to store for leftovers as well!

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

3-4 Chicken breasts

Mojo marinade

1 box of penne

2 jars or large cans of your favorite pasta sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 onion (chopped)

2 green peppers (chopped/sliced)

Parmesan cheese

Crushed red pepper flakes
Italian seasonings

Garlic salt

Black pepper

Steps:

1. Marinade chicken for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cook pasta according to box (when finished, toss with a teaspoon of olive oil to avoid sticking).
3. Grill the chicken (you can always bake, pan fry, whatever, but this tastes the best!).
4. In a LARGE pan heat olive oil (Medium High)and throw in chopped onion and green pepper. Cook until onion becomes translucent and green pepper is soft.
5. Add minced garlic and crushed red pepper.
6. Stir with veggies for about two minutes on Medium.
7. Stir in pasta sauce. Sometimes I add 1/2 cup of alfredo sauce to make it a bit creamy :)
8. You can now add diced tomatoes, oregano or Italian seasonings, garlic salt, pepper, & parmesan cheese, to taste. Stir occasionally until you are ready to toss in the chicken.
9. Once chicken is done, remove from grill, slice, and add to the sauce.
10. Heat for a remaining few minutes.
11. Serve with garlic bread and salad!

*Feel free to add veggies like mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, zuchini, ect...ALL OF THESE are great!