Sausage & Bean Casserole: Recipe & Review

This is a brand-new recipe for me.  I found it in a copy of Southern Living (Aug 2009?) that I was browsing during DD's dance class the other day.  I've tweaked it a bit to use fewer pre-packaged products.  If you're not limited by allergy issues as we are, by all means take advantage of those time savers though!

Sausage & Bean Casserole (serves 8)
1 lb ground pork (original:  1 lb bulk pork sausage)
Breakfast Sausage Spice Mix
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
4-5 c cooked pinto beans (original:  4, 14.5oz cans of beans, drained)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles, undrained
Cornbread Batter (original:  1 c self-rising cornmeal + 1 c buttermilk)
6-8oz cheddar cheese (opt.)

Breakfast Sausage Spice Mix
1 1/2 t fennel seeds
1/2 t caraway seeds
1 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t ground all spice
1/2 t ground sage
1/2 t garlic powder

Cornbread Batter (this is half a normal cornbread recipe)
1/2 c AP flour
1/2 c cornmeal
2 T sugar (opt)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 c milk
2 T oil/melted shortening

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Brown pork, breaking up as it cooks.  I didn't drain it since it seemed pretty lean and I needed some fat for the veggies. 
3. Add in the diced onion, bell pepper, and spice mix.  Cook until vegetables are softened.
4. Stir in beans and tomatoes.  Heat through.
5. Place meat & bean mixture in a 9x13 casserole dish.  Top with cheese if using.  Pour cornbread batter over the top.  Spread it with a spatula to cover the top of the casserole. 
6. Bake til cornbread is golden, 30-45 minutes.

The Verdict:  Adults -- A, Kids -- F
DH and I very much liked it although with the diced tomatoes w/ chiles it was "tingley" as my DH said.  Definitely use just regular tomatoes if you're not into hot.  This was an absolute failure with the kids.  I'm not surprised about DD not liking it, but I thought DS would go for it since he likes beans.  Not today.  They might have liked it better with more kid friendly vegetables (I'm thinking corn or similar). 

Also, I discovered that the cheese layer actually serves the important role of allowing the cornbread to really set up by keeping the liquids from the casserole from making the bottom soggy. 

Chocolate Cake (Wacky Cake)

This is a fabulous recipe that has the added benefit of being free of several allergens commonly found in cakes! 

Chocolate Cake (Wacky Cake) (make 8" square/round or ~10 cupcakes)
1 1/2 c AP flour
3 T cocoa powder
1/2t salt
1 t baking powder
1 c sugar
5 T oil
1 T white vinegar
1 t vanilla
1 c cold water

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Sift all the dry ingredient (including sugar) directly into your baking dish (or a bowl).  Mix them together thoroughly.
3. Make 3 wells in the dry mixture.  Add the oil to one, the vinegar to another, and the vanilla to the third.
4. Pour the cup of water over the top. 
5. Mix well to remove all lumps.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until pick inseted in center comes out clean.
7. VERY IMPOTANT!  Allow the cake to cool thoroughly before attempting to remove it from the pan. 
8. You can then frost it, but my personal favorite topping for this cake is sliced strawberries dusted with powdered sugar.   Allow the cake to sit for awhile to let the strawberry juices soak down into the top of the cake. 

Menu Plan 8/29-9/5

This week's a pretty mixed bag - some repeats and some new.  I'm still working hard to try and keep our busy days as simple as possible on the dinner front.  I've got a potluck on Sunday that I'm cooking some extra for and I also made an extra dinner for another family at the end of last week.  I'm linking those recipes as well.  The new recipes I will post & link this week as I make them so check back.

Extra Recipes: 
Southwestern Pasta (New!)
This is a quick and easy recipe -- a classic beefy pasta bake with a southwestern flair.

Spanish Green Beans
The Pioneer Woman's recipe...making a repeat appearance

Chocolate Cake (aka Wacky Cake) (New!) -- This is an egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free chocolate cake that's easy to make.  The only real trick is being patient enough to let it cool fully before you try to take it out of the pan. 

Saturday:  Chicken Cobb Pitas  
Fingers crossed that the avocado will be ripe!  No blue cheese but maybe some goat cheese of some sort. 

Sunday:  Sausage & Bean Casserole w/ Salad (New!)
I saw this recipe in Southern Living -- breakfast sausage w/ onions, peppers, pinto beans, and some diced tomatoes, topped with cornbread  I'm going to make my own "sausage" by seasoning ground pork with allspice, etc. 

Monday:  Pasta Carbonara (New!) w/ Zucchini
This is a classic Italian pasta dish with egg, pancetta/bacon, and onion.  It's super quick. 

Tuesday:  Pork Chops w/ Pineapple & Asparagus "Gratin"
Plain and simple -- pan fried pork chops with fresh pineapple and roasted asparagus w/ cracker topping.

Wednesday:  Ranch Chicken Burgers w/ Broccoli
Nothing too complicated here either -- seasoned chicken burgers w/ homemade ranch and steamed broccoli. 

Thursday:  Pizza w/ Caesar Salad
Homemade pizza w/ a crisp caesar salad

Friday:  Chickpea & Veggie Curry w/ Rice (extra for Friday)
Recipe repeat from a few weeks ago.  Coconut milk & red curry base with chickpeas, cauliflower, broccoli, and peas.

Saturday:  Pork Fried Rice
It was so much fun we're going to try it again with a few more tweaks -- remix of last week's Indonesian Fried Rice.  I'll post updates later if we have a breakthrough.

For LOTS more menus check out Menu Plan Monday @ orgjunkie.com

Southwestern Pasta

Southwestern Pasta (serves 4-6)
8-12 oz cooked pasta (cavatapi, large macaroni, etc.)
1/2 lb ground beef
2 c salsa
2 t lime juice
4-6oz grated cheddar cheese (opt)
handful of chopped cilantro (opt)

1. Cook and drain the pasta.
2. Brown the ground beef.  Drain the excess fat.  Add in the salsa and lime juice.  Stir to heat through.
3. Stir pasta and meat sauce together.  Top with grated cheese and cilantro if desired.  You could bake it for a few minutes to brown/crisp the cheese a bit but it's not necessary. 
4. Serve with extra slices of lime for squeezing over the top.  Would also be very nice with avocado (esp. if you omit the cheese) and green onion. 

Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad (serves 2-4)
1 medium yellow/sweet onion, diced
1 bell peppers, diced (any color is fine)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 T olive oil
1 c dry French green lentils/dry brown lentils (rinsed and picked over)
enough water/stock/broth to cover the lentils (1.5 - 2 c)
1-2T balsamic vinegar
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2t thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 oz chevre, crumbled
salad greens
vinaigrette

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat and sautee vegetables til softened.
2. Add in the lentils and cover with water/broth/stock (just enough to go over the top of them.  Increase heat a bit to get them going.  Add bay leaf and thyme and balsamic vinegar. 
3. Cook coveredover medium/medium-low heat.  Simmer the lentils for 15 minutes depending on how soft you like your lentils.  15 minutes will leave them still pretty crunchy/toothy.  If they're still a little too soupy and/or you like your lentils softer, remove the lid and let them cook for another 5-10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning.
4. Serve over salad greens with a dollop of chevre on the top.  Drizzle vinaigrette over the top. 

I also served this with the Artisan Bread from An Oregon Cottage.  It was VERY easy and the flavors are great.  I think my dough was probably still a touch wet since it spread more than hers did.  Loved the dutch oven cooking method.

Indonesian Fried Rice

Indonesian Fried Rice (serves 4-6)
(Based on a recipe from Green Mangoes and Lemongrass by Wendy Hutton.)

3-4 T oil
3-4 c cold cooked rice*
7-8 oz beef or pork, thinly sliced (beef's more traditional for Indonesia)
2-4 T soy sauce (I used Worcestershire + some extra salt)
eggs
1-2 green onions, thin sliced

Seasoning Paste
1 t anchovy paste/ 1/2t toasted shrimp paste
4-6 shallots
1 garlic clove
1t lime juice
2t oil
1/2t seasame oil
1/2 t dried red pepper flakes

*It's best to make the rice the day before and let it hang out in the fridge to dry out.

1. Heat oil in wok or heavy skillet over medium heat.
2. Combine the seasoning paste ingredient in a food processor in pulse til a rough paste forms (don't need to liquify it just get everything chopped v. small).  It's gonna be very strong smelling, but don't worry it'll mellow out when you cook it.
3. Saute seasoning paste in the oil until the shallots are becoming translucent and you lose the raw garlic and onion smell.
4. Increase the heat and add in the meat.  Cook meat through.
5. Toss in the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Sprinkle soy sauce/alternative over the top.  Cook another few minutes.  You want to reheat the rice and get it thoroughly seasoned. 
6. Remove fried rice from the work and keep warm.  Add a bit more oil and fry one egg for each portion. 

Serve fried rice topped with an egg and sprinkled with scallions.  We ate ours with some Sriracha on top.

The Verdict:  B+
It's a good starting point for a fried rice recipe.  The seasoning paste was really nice despite my skepticism when it was still raw.  It needed a bit more meat and some veggies in it to fit our tastes.  Also I need to tweak my soy sauce substitute.  It's a nice quick recipe though...not too much chopping or prep work needed.

Weekly Round-up

In honor of my recent Asian kick --

Soy Sauce Substitue
Beef Rendang from Rasa Malyasia (by way of the Meal Planner)
Szechuan Chicken & Noodle Wraps and Crunchy Peanut Slaw from the Meal Planner
Waiter:  The Indonesian Foods Roundup - Not a recipe but a whole site full of Indonesian/Malaysian recipes