Nature's Pride: Honeycrisp apple and sausage stuffing

Confession: I am obsessed with Thanksgiving foods. OBSESSED! My absolute favorite dish at Thanksgiving time however, is my dad's sausage stuffing. My sisters and I gobble it up. (LOL gobble)

So when Nature's Pride hosted a contest on Foodbuzz, I knew what I had to do. Recreate Dad's stuffing with a healthy twist and with fresh bread instead of breadcrumbs.

Through Foodbuzz's tastemaker program, I received a free coupon for a loaf of Nature's Pride bread.



I chose 12 grain because it's hearty, whole-wheat and full of flavor. Perfect for my stuffing!



I used 4 cups of bread cubes which equals 5 slices of bread.



Leaving the bread cubes out overnight so they harden up would work best but I didn't have a lot of time. I laid the cubes out on a cookie sheet, sprayed them with EVOO and toasted them in the oven. (400 degrees for 5-6 minutes but keep an eye on it.)



For the sausage, I used some sage pork sausage which I cooked with celery and red onion. I'm normally not a celery person but it gives this stuffing some delicious crunch.



Then I slowly add in the bread cubes, butter, broth and 1 diced honeycrisp apple. Put it in a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.



The onions and the apple caramelize while cooking, leaving a fantastic sweetness throughout the stuffing.



And yes, I know stuffing isn't photogenic but MAN is it good! I ate this for dinner last night and for lunch today. YUM! Totally gets me in the mood for fall.

Want the recipe?

Ingredients

1 pound Sage Sausage (feel free to use pork, turkey, non-meat whatever!)
1 large red onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 large Honeycrisp apple, diced
5 slices Nature's Pride bread, cubed and toasted
1 cup veggie broth (chicken is fine)
1/2 cup melted butter (I highly suggest Kerrygold butter, unsalted)
Salt to taste* (I didn't salt mine)

Cook sausage, onion and celery together in a large skillet. Make sure to crumble sausage while it cooks.

As soon as the sausage is cooked through, add in bread cubes, broth and butter. Stir to combine.

Add in honeycrisp apple pieces last, then transfer to a 9X13 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

This post & recipe are part of a contest entry to win a trip to the Foodbuzz Festival in November.

Crockpots are magic.

Alright I've clearly lost my mind. I don't care who knows it. Our crockpot has saved my life. I have night classes three nights week so I've been using our crockpot on those nights so I don't wind up eating junk. It's been great so far.



Last night I made salsa chicken using Biz's salsa. It was so easy.

1 1/2 jars of salsa
2 tbsp reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 of a large red onion (Sorry Biz!)
2 diced hot peppers
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp cumin

Add it all to the crockpot and pour salsa over the top of the chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours)



The salsa made this! It's got this incredible smoky flavor that coated the chicken. Every bite had flavor. Plus you've gotta love how salsa has barely any calories.



I served a cup of shredded chicken on a salad plate with a dollop of reduced fat sour cream, guacamole and 1/2 a diced tomato. So good! The chicken would make a great enchilada filling. Thanks so much for sending us salsa Biz it's seriously delicious. I am rationing out the last 2 jars.



MMM.



Another crockpot favorite? Crockpot italian pork.

Get a 1 lb pork loin
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
a dash of dried rosemary, black pepper, sea salt, red pepper flakes and dried basil. Stir.

On high for 4 hours or low for 8. It shreds really easily and tastes fantastic. Sometimes I throw it more seasonings depending on my mood.

In other news, I found my student teaching placement. I will be teaching 7th grade English. I'm really excited but nervous. And my knee is still killing me so more PT is necessary. I've been icing 3x a day for 15 minutes each time, stretching and resting but it's not healing fast enough. I'm so ready to do this again.



Minus the creepy face of course. I also rejoined Weight Watchers last night with a friend. I've maintained my weight since February (the last time I weighed in there) but I'm really hoping to lose some more. If you're interested in being accountability buddies just email me! I could use the motivation.

The question I have for you is... do you have any fabulous crockpot recipes? Please share!

Cooking with organics.

I debated doing another Vegas post but I am too excited about our organic produce.

Signing up for a weekly delivery of organic produce was such a lifesaver. Now, our house always have fresh, delicious produce. Plus, we don't get to choose what comes in the box so it's always a surprise!



For example, I got some purple basil. I could have made pesto with it but I decided to try hummus instead. First, get a can of chickpeas (garbanzos) and some olive oil. I suggest using fresh beans if you have the time. I do not.



Add in a cup of sun-dried tomatoes. I bought mine at a farmer's market. They aren't packed in oil but you can use the oil-packed kind. Just cut back on the amount of olive oil.



Chop 1/4 cups worth of basil. I used the purple basil from the CSA. It's dreamy but really any basil will work. Add more if you feel necessary.



Add the entire can of garbanzos to the food processor. Water and all. Process until smooth and add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped basil and process again. It should come together fairly quickly. Add more olive oil if you find necessary.

Eat it with fresh crudites or pita chips!



The organic grapes from the CSA were delicious. I wish I knew what to do with them besides eat them straight up.



Next up was the elusive spaghetti squash. I always read about other food bloggers using the innards as a pasta substitute but I hadn't tried it myself. I had no idea what this was when it came in the box.

I roasted it cut sides up for 30 minutes at 350.



While it roasted, I took this baby eggplant and sliced it.



And sauteed.



I used pancetta and olive oil from my misto to take out any bitterness.



Buy a misto. It's so much better than regular cooking spray.



Chicken meatballs were added to the mix.



And the spaghetti squash innards. They were so easy to scoop out. It was kind of freaky.



I topped my pasta with some buffalo mozzarella and chowed down. I loved it! I definitely wouldn't substitute spaghetti squash for pasta all the time (I love carbs) but it's a nice change of pace.

Andy's bandage is off. Do you want to see pictures? It's semi-disgusting.

PS! I am getting custom orthotics! Maybe I'll run again?

Happiness is not a fish you can catch.

First and foremost, you guys are amazing. Your comments on the post about my foot injury cheered me up more than words can properly express.

I did a lot of thinking and I have decided that getting a second opinion about my injury wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. I am going to try to see a sports medicine doctor/physical therapist who can help me strengthen the weak muscles around my ankles and calves. Hopefully with some help and TLC, I'll feel stronger and healthier. (And be able to train for more races like I want, only pain-free!)

I'm not going to stop working out but I am going to change the way I look at exercise. I will not exercise to lose weight anymore. I will exercise to keep my body healthy, to boost energy levels and to reduce my stress. I've been too hard on myself with this weight loss thing and it's not healthy. It's more important to me to be healthy and happy. If I obsess over calories in and calories out, I will be unhappy.

Your support is more than I could ever ask for. Thanks for being here for me. It will be a process. I don't expect to change my thinking overnight but I do hope to be a positive example to my four younger siblings and my future children. I want to be proud of what my body can do and not what it CAN'T do.



Let's move on. The other night I made some bruschetta with organic tomatoes, a balsamic glaze, a spritz of olive oil, buffalo mozzarella and some delicious crusty bread. I missed the fresh basil but we didn't have any on hand.



I toasted the bread in the oven at 400. I simply cut the bread into slices, sprayed with olive oil using my misto and topped half of the bread with cheese. I couldn't decide if I preferred the cheese melted or not.



The melted cheese won.

For the tomatoes, I diced them and tossed them in salt & pepper before throwing them on top of the bread slices.

The balsamic glaze was easier than I thought it would be. I boiled 1/2 of a cup of balsamic vinegar, reduced to low until it thickened. I got about 1/4 cup of glaze. I used a turkey baster to glaze the bread.

YUM! Makes me miss lazy days in Italy.

Next, I might try bruschette with chopped tomatoes, balsamic glaze, chopped avocado and asiago. What other combinations would be good?

Quick & Easy tomato sauce recipe

Thanks to everyone who entered my Chobani Champions Giveaway! The winner is...

#8 brandi said...
oh, and you're in my reader!

February 24, 2010 11:12 AM

Congrats Brandi!

(My next giveaway will be soon! You will all love it, I promise!)




My friend Charlene recently added me a paper bag full of fresh tomatoes from her garden. I was thrilled! I made pasta sauce with them, naturally.

(Excuse how messy my stove top is. Sauce bubbling makes quite a mess.)

Ingredients:

8 medium sized tomatoes, 4-5 small tomatoes quartered.
2 zucchini chopped up fine
half a brown onion diced
2 tbsp butter
salt to taste
dried garlic flakes
1 tbsp olive oil

I started by heating the EVOO (RR!) and the diced onion until the onion was clear. Then I added in the chopped zucchini and tomatoes and cooked them down for 30 minutes. The butter, salt, & garlic flakes (& 1 tbsp of Italian seasonings) were added last. I used my immersion blender to make the sauce creamy. I loved how it turned out orange!



Then I made a baked pasta dish using whole wheat pasta noodles, fontina cheese, my homemade sauce, chicken meatballs and parmesan cheese.



And heated up some garlic asiago bread.



And just heated until the cheese melted. (In the stove @350 for 5-6 mins)





DELICIOUS! I'm glad I tried making my own sauce. All of the recipes I found online took 2-4 hours and I just wasn't having it. The quick recipes used peeled & canned tomatoes which I obviously didn't have. So I got creative and just did my own thang. Turned out beautifully. Leftovers for lunch!

I'm not feeling so hot this am. I ended up running 1.5 miles yesterday with Andy and it irritated my knee. I knew I should have taken the day off but...I am dumb. I was up all night tossing & turning in pain as a result. I'm going to take today off running and start Week 7 of Couch to 5k tomorrow. Wish me luck!

"I'm in love with this song"

Yes, I admit it. I have Ke$ha in my head. Help me!

I'm on Week Five of Couch to 5k and I'm starting to not love it. It's getting harder!

I did Day 1 of Week 5 twice because my body was not down. Andy and I went to a local park and ran around there. Like I've mentioned before, I usually run on the treadmill because it's indoors and I had no idea where to put my car keys while running outside. Stupid logic, really. I just like running with my hands free and didn't want to worry about holding onto my dang keys!

Then Andrea (One of my favorite bloggers!) gave it to me straight. I live in beautiful Southern California. It's a nice 70-80 degrees outside. What am I doing on the treadmill? And she linked me to Road Id where I purchased 2 shoe wallets for me and Andy.

Shoe wallet. It was only 4.99!

Day 2 was on the treadmill because I felt pretty congested and wasn't sure if I could finish. Luckily, I had no problems. Besides boredom on the treadmill and a slow body. My knees, heels and shins are bothering me less than when I started Week 1. Progress is progress, right?

Week 5 is different than the first four weeks. It has 3 different days of running.

Day 1- has 3 sets of 5 minute runs.
Day 2- has 2 sets of 8 minute runs.
Day 3- has 1 set of a 20 minute run.

This is not including warm-ups, walks or cooldowns. For more info check out Couch to 5k. I'm looking forward to completing day 3 tomorrow, then starting week 6 on Sunday. We'll be in San Diego visiting Andy's parents and attending a San Diego State University Basketball game. I've never been to a college basketball game so I'm pretty excited!



The other day I got bored and wandered around Whole Foods. I picked up a can of pureed sweet potatoes for no reason and stuck it in my cart. Then visions of sweet potato soup danced in my head.

Ingredients- 1 can pureed sweet potato, cut sweet potatoes (mine were in syrup so I rinsed them), 1 can broth, 1 can cuban style black beans, 1 sweet red bell pepper, and some almond milk or half & half. Chili powder and cumin were also involved.



Then combine all ingredients in a big pot, being sure to mash down the chunks of sweet potato.



Then top with smoky bacon and serve. This soup was spicy from the cuban black beans, chili powder and cumin. I loved it! I wish the photos came out a little better but oh well.



Any songs stuck in your head today?

Any one else doing Couch to 5k? I know Mari is. Anyone else? How is it going for you?

FULL

I don't know why but I feel uncomfortably full right now. I ate my lunch a few minutes ago (late for me!) and now I feel like sleeping. You know, that after a thanksgiving day feast feeling? YUCK!

I have 2 classes tonight. One is 4pm-6:45pm and the other is 7-10pm so hopefully this full feeling will go away so I can focus on my classes.



I felt super full yesterday too. (I even skipped dinner and had a nonfat latte instead!)

Look how cute the Starbucks cups are! (This was taken on the way to class when I stopped for gas last night.)



After class, I was hungry enough to sample some of this strawberry cheesecake that I made in my ice cream maker!



So delicious! And naturally pink!!!!



I know, I know I suck at scooping. But look at the huge chunks of strawberries in the ice cream!

Recipe:

1/2 cup vanilla unsweetened almond breeze. (or any almond milk!)
1 cup half & half (I KNOW!)
1/2 cup sugar (you could reduce it even more.)
1 cup strawberries. (I used frozen strawberries. I heated them up on the stove and macerated with 1 tsp of sugar)
4 oz cream cheese.
1 egg.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Set bowl aside.
Heat almond milk on stove until boiling.
Add egg and cream cheese mixture to the boiling almond breeze.
Slowly pour in half & half.

Add to ice cream maker.

Add strawberries slowly into the ice cream maker for a swirled effect. Mine didn't really turn out as planned but the taste is spot on!

1. Do you ever make ice cream? Give me a recipe!
2. Do you ever get uncomfortably full? Even when you don't eat a lot?

I caught Andy's cold!

Thanks for your support and sweet comments on my Almost Famous Chef entry. You guys are the best!

Yesterday, I subbed a kindergarten/first grade class and then had 6 hours of class. So I just didn't have the time for a normal blog. I have 150 blog posts to read on my google reader! (CRAZY!) I hate Mondays and Wednesdays when I work and have 2 long classes. If it was up to me, I'd get sub jobs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only. Working on days with short classes isn't a problem. At this point, I'll take what jobs I can get though.

I started to feel really sick yesterday so I'm pretty sure I caught Andy's cold. My eyes are watery, my nose is stuffed up, I feel light-headed and my head hurts so bad. Blah. I'm going to have to leave the apartment soon to get some cold meds in me. (Andy is still not 100% either.)



Breakfast tuesday morning was half a grapefruit with a teeny bit of sugar. Honestly, I like grapefruit without sugar, it's just a bad habit of mine!



I should probably have grapefruit this morning too. Vitamin C to the rescue!



And I had a pom chobani. This was my 2nd time having it and I really enjoyed it this time. At first I didn't like the texture of the arils on the bottom but this time? Loved it!



While enjoying breakfast, I iced my knee with my new friend.



Peas cold therapy! My dad is a marathon runner and has always used a bag of actual frozen peas to ice after long runs so I thought imitation peas would be good for me!



Later, I had the urge to make cookies. So I brought out the silpat from Andy's mom and tried it out.



Oatmeal chocolate chip goodness! My cookies never turn out actually looking like cookies, I am so impressed! Thanks again Josie!



After the cookies, I decided to make dinner because I am backwards like that. I made dinner at 5 and left for class at 6. So I didn't have much time. I roasted corn.



With 1 tbsp dijonnaise, 1/2 tbsp light olive oil mayo, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt and a dab of butter. Yes, a dab.



Slathered it on the corn, wrapped the corn in foil and baked in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.



Ignore my messy kitchen. I put some asiago cheese on the corn afterwards. It was so delicious and spicy! We had some chicken sausage and peppers n onions with it.



But the corn was the star of the show. I can't wait until corn is actually in season so I can recreate this again.

Right now, I'm icing my knee and preparing to run my last day of Week 3 for Couch to 5k. My knees are definitely not enjoying the runs but the rest of me does. I am hoping to do 3 miles in 30 minutes by the end of March. But if my knee continues to feel this way, it will probably be more like 35-40 minutes. And that is okay. Slow and steady finishes the race!