Sausage and Peppers and Onions

1 lb Italian Sausage links
1 green pepper
1 onion
3 cups rigatoni pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat the oven to 350F.

First cut the sausage links into 1/4 inch pieces and add to a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Then thinly slice the onion and pepper and place on top of the cut sausage.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.

Add the cooked pasta to the sausage, peppers, and onions mixture and blend in the spaghetti sauce.  Return to the oven for an additional 25 minutes.

Yummy accidental dip!

I was baking a cake today to celebrate Jesus' birthday (cheesy, I know but my big little bit was so excited to help!). The cake pan I have is shaped like a crown and I needed to use a little more than one box of cake.  Turns out, the batter was so delicious that I have saved some to use as a dip for our Christmas celebration tomorrow at the in-laws!  And since it's vegan, no one has to worry about raw eggs!

1 box of Spice cake
1 can of pumpkin

Mix and enjoy!  I have only eaten it with a spoon and with a club cracker, but I think I'll take graham crackers to the celebration. I also might throw in some diary free chocolate chips!

Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup!

In my last organic produce delivery I got a bunch of kale and some celery.  While I love kale, I was really looking to do something different!  So I researched and came up with this recipe.  I made a few changes and am really happy with the end result!

2T Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil

 1C diced onion
1C diced red pepper
1C diced celery
1/2C diced carrot
1/2C mushrooms
8oz diced smoked sausage
2 cloved minced garlic
1 bunch rinsed and chopped kale
4C chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can Great Northern Beans
1 can Cannelini Beans
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

In a large skillet heat grapeseed oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions, bell pepper, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and sausage.  Saute, stirring, until onion is tender.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add kale and garlic; cover and continue cooking for 2 minutes.  Add broth, tomatoes, and beans; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, until veggies are tender.  Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.

The ingredients in bold are the additions/changes I made.  Unfortunately, this is not a meal my family would even taste so I didn't have any guinea pigs to try it out on but I really enjoyed it!  The steaming bowl was perfect to enjoy on this semi-cold, rainy day!