orzo with sausage, peppers, and tomatoes

i had some sweet italian turkey sausage in the fridge to cook up and was a little burnt out on tomato sauce/traditional pasta flavors. then, i remembered we had some orzo and was determined to find a recipe for this combination. this is what i found. and i had 90% of the ingredients on hand. i only had to buy fresh tomatoes and parsley. it's a winner!

makes 4-6 servings

• 3 c chicken broth
• 1 lb orzo pasta (1 box)
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 package mild Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 jarred roasted red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tb chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. boil chicken broth and some water in lg saucepan. add orzo when boiling and cook according to package (~10minutes)

2. while pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in lg skillet over med-high heat. add turkey sausage and saute until cooked (~4minutes).

3. then add garlic, cook 1 minute.

4. finally add peppers, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. add drained pasta and sausage mixture in large serving bowl.

6. add salt pepper and parsley. mix well.

7. add parmesan cheese and a little more parsley to top.

green cheese chicken nuggets

1 c cooked chicken (i used canned)

1 c spinach (i used a package of frozen)

1 c mozzarella cheese

1 egg (i just used the yolk)

1/4 c breadcrumbs and extra to roll

Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. combine ingredients in food processor until they stay together.

2. scoop into balls - a cookie dough scoop works well.

3. roll in breadcrumbs (and parmesan)

4. smooth gently to form a nugget

5. place on cookie sheet

6. bake 375 for 15 min, or until done. turn once 1/2 way through.

shifting gears

now that alex has started eating solid foods, i have begun a new search of healthy recipes that allow for easy tasty eating.

the food processor has come in very handy lately. i just need a way to store my extras, especially now that we have a chest freezer. i love the ideas of freezing in serving size (muffin tins, nuggets, etc) and just taking what i need for meals. we have a food saver, but it's hard to reseal the plastic each time. maybe i'll just invest in some heavy duty freezer bags, but i'd like a more environmental and economical solution.

a month ago, i made him apple chicken nuggets. i will have to post the recipe next time i make these. and today, it's green chicken nuggets!