Bratwurst "Stirfry"

 

It's Friday!  Once again, I've got to work until 10:30, so no going out.  Bummer, but I guess in a way, it saves us a little bit of money.  Especially after the expensive vacation we just endured.  Don't really have much planned for the weekend either.  I'm just working a couple hours in the morning tomorrow and the rest of the weekend will be spent studying for a Molecular Biology exam that I have on Tuesday!  Sunday, of course, is football day, and might possibly have a few friends over for some dinner (we owe them for watching out dogs, so what better way to thank them than by feeding them?!)

  

I had some leftover bratwursts from the Currywurst recipe and couldn't just let them go to waste.  I saw this side dish on Guilty Kitchen's blog and decided to use up a few veggies we had lying around!

Bratwurst Stir Fry

Adapted from Guilty Kitchen's Sweet Potato, Kale, & Sausage

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 clove garlic
2 sweet potatoes, left unpeeled and diced
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 bratwursts, sliced into rounds
8 oz kale, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped
sea salt to taste
fresh cracked pepper to taste

Heat a large dutch oven under medium high heat and add oil.  Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until starting to soften.
 

Add in sweet potatoes, garlic, squash, green pepper, and thyme. Sauté for another 5 minutes, or until garlic softens.

Mix mustard and water and add to sweet potatoes. Stir, cover, lower heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

Add in sliced bratwursts and cook for 10 more minutes, or until bratwurst are almost done.

Stir in kale, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 more minutes.  Serve immediately!

I know it's kind of misleading saying that this is a "stir-fry," but I guess to me, a stir fry is more of a culmination of a bunch of ingredients into one dish, rather than something just pan fried quickly.  This was definitely a great use of some of our leftover squash and green peppers.  There were major layers of flavor in this dish and would definitely be a great side, but even better main course!

Enjoy the weekend guys and I'll be back Monday!

Yellow Squash & Zucchini Bowties

Well, after an uneventful lamb dinner on Tuesday night, I knew I had to make up for it yesterday. I mean, I've only cooked with lamb about 3 times, and each time it just seems like I flop. I can't get rid of that game-y taste and it just doesn't end up being a winner, so I think I'm going to retire the lamb cooking, for now at least. So sticking to what I'm good at, I decided on a pasta dish. I've never really been let down by pasta, and this was no exception either.


Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, cut into 1 & 1/2 inch sticks
3 small yellow squash, sliced and quartered
12 basil leaves, chopped
handful of pine nuts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and fresh black pepper to taste
1 box bowtie pasta
1 cup parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup white wine, like a chardonnay

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

While waiting for the water, you can start on the rest of the components of the dish. In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium-high heat. Stir constantly so the nuts do not burn, and they should be good in about 2-3 minutes.

I really liked the pine nuts, they gave a nice added crunch and texture to the dish!

Then in a large fry pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil. Melt butter and then add your veggies. I had so much that I did it in 2 batches, 5 minutes each batch.

You want the veggies to start to get soft and slightly browned. Season with salt to taste, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

When water comes to a boil, add a large pinch of salt and pasta to water. Cook until tender. Drain the pasta and reserve in the pot.

In the same fry pan you used for the veggies, melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and add garlic. Stir until fragrant. Add white wine and then add back in the zucchini, squash, and pine nuts. Mix together.

Add the zucchini/squash mixture, along with the chopped basil, to the bowties. Make sure everything is mixed well and then add in your parmesan cheese. This will melt and kind of make a light sauce.

Plate the pasta and top with additional parmesan cheese, if desired, and freshly ground black pepper.

This was a great meal. We both cleaned our plates in a matter of minutes. Definitely a meal that didn't leave you bloated either. I'm pretty sure it's pretty healthy too. So there's pluses all around with this one! Enjoy!