Last week I felt like changing things up a bit for dinner. Sadly, that translates to "dinner experiments," and poor Brolin has to be my guinea pig.
Lucky for him, two of the dinners were AMAZING!!! I have to share the recipes. If you decide to throw either of these into your dinner plans this week (which I highly suggest), then I promise you will not regret it!
My favorite of the two is the Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with White Bean and Kale.
Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes
2 TBS Olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can (15oz) cooked, drained, white beans
6 cups kale, trimmed and cut into ribbons
juice of 1/4 of a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
I scrubbed the sweet potatoes with soap (maybe that's weird, but I like to really clean them), then poked a few holes in each of them with a fork. Then I baked them in the over for about an hour. You want them soft all the way through.
When the potatoes have 15-20 minutes left, heat olive oil in a large pan on low-med heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft (5 minutes). Add the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute. Add the beans and cook for 5 minutes. Keep stirring. Add the kale and cover the pan, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the kale is soft. stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Slice the potatoes and spoon kale mixture into the center. YUM!
I actually cooked the potatoes in the morning while I was getting ready for work, then put them in the fridge. That way, when I came home all I had to do was heat the potatoes and make the kale mixture!
This meal was so simple, vegetarian, and loaded with healthy goodness. I cooked up a simple mushroom rice pilaf to go on the side and it was delish!
Now on to Brolin's favorite, the Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup.
Ingredients:
12-16 oz italian sausage (I used a mild pork sausage)
1 medium onion
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
9 oz cheese tortellini (one package is 9oz, but I ended up adding more because I LOVE tortellini)
6 oz spinach, chopped
3/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of rep pepper flakes (I used a little more because I like some kick to my food)
Add sausage and onion to a large stock pot. Cook over med heat until meat is fully cooked. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in the tortellini, return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5-8 minutes until pasta is tender. Lastly, add the spinach, basil, pepper, and pepper flakes, and cook for a couple minutes until the spinach is wilted.
That's it! It is seriously that simple. :) I had some yukon potatoes with rosemary, olive oil, and salt baking in the oven while I made the soup and voila!
Bon Appétit mes amis!
