Finn Recommends: Easy Breakfast Strata

Often on vacation and holidays, I find that no one's really awake enough to consider breakfast for a crowd. This is an easy, basic recipe that can be souped-up with sauteed vegetables or toned-down without meat for vegetarians. It is best to prepare the night before, but comes together quickly the morning-of, as well.

Easy Breakfast Strata

Ingredients

• 1 pound pork sausage
• 6 (1 ounce) slices bread, cubed
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground dry mustard

Directions

1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
2. Layer bread cubes, sausage, and Cheddar cheese in a lightly greased 7x11 inch baking dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and mustard. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cube mixture. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
3. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-sausage-strata/

Nancy Recommends:Sausage with Pasta, Basil and Mustard

Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard

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• ACTIVE: 10 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 20 MIN
• SERVINGS: 4
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• In matching spicy sausage with a creamy mustard sauce and fragrant basil, THIS IS a quick pasta supper with warm, mildly spicy flavors, perfect for a cool fall or winter evening.

Recipe: Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 pound penne or medium shells
2. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3. 8 hot Italian sausages, meat removed from casings and crumbled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4. 3/4 cup dry white wine
5. 3/4 cup heavy cream
6. 3 tablespoons grainy mustard
7. Pinch of crushed red pepper
8. 1 cup thinly sliced basil

Preparation

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, mustard and crushed red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the pasta and basil and toss to coat. Serve at once.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pasta-with-sausage-basil-and-mustard

Patrick Recommends: Herbed Chickpea Crackers

• Herbed Chickpea Crackers
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• I bought some chickpea flour at a local Middle Eastern market
• when I had the grand idea of becoming the Chicago King of
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• chickpea flour, I found this cracker recipe. These are savory
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• guilt-free crackers that impress.
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• Time 15 minutes
• Serves 4

Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup chickpea flour, sifted before measuring
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tbsp pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 3-5 tablespoons water

How to make it

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• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Mix all dry ingredients together well.
• Begin stirring in water one tablespoon at a time. When the dough can be formed into a ball, you have added enough water.
• Knead the dough several times to distribute the ingredients, and then roll it in plastic wrap and let rest 15-20 minutes.
• Dust your work area and rolling pin well with the gluten-free flour.
• Divide dough in half, put half on the floured surface, and sprinkle the top with flour.
• Roll it out extremely thin, and cut it into 1" squares.
• Place crackers on a non-stick cookie sheet and repeat with other half of dough.
• Prick each cracker once or twice with a fork.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then turn off oven and allow them to cool inside.
• http://www.grouprecipes.com/40591/herbed-chickpea-crackers.html

Alexandra Recommends: Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, halved

1 cup dried black beans, washed and picked over

6 cups water

1 14-ounce can tomatoes, drained

2 teaspoons lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground

1 canned chipotle pepper, rinsed, or 1 serrano pepper, coarsely chopped (optional)

1. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add half of the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, and add two of the garlic cloves. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, and add the beans and the water. Discard any of the beans that float, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours until the beans are tender.

2. While the beans are simmering, combine the remaining onion, drained tomatoes, cumin, chile and remaining garlic in a blender, and blend until smooth. Heat the remaining oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot enough for a drop of the puree to sizzle upon contact. Add the puree, and cook, stirring, for five to 10 minutes until the mixture is thick and leaves a canal when you run a spoon or spatula down the center of the pan. Stir in a cup of liquid from the beans, and simmer over medium heat for five to 10 minutes until thick and fragrant. Scrape into the beans with a rubber spatula. Season the beans with salt, and simmer another 15 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

3. Blend the soup coarsely using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender (cover the top with a towel to avoid hot splashes) or a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Return to the pot, and heat through, stirring. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Yield: Serves four.

Advance preparation: The soup will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/health/nutrition/26recipehealth.html

Dan Recommends: Sauteed Kale with Tahini Sauce

Oh my, this is a good one. I never would have thought to pair kale with tahini (thank you to my friend Peg for the suggestion), but it's great. Sort of reminiscent of a popular Japanese dish with spinach and sesame gomasio. The slightly bitter green kale does a happy dance with the acidic lemon and salty richness of the tahini sauce. Very easy to pull together. Would make an excellent addition to a Thanksgiving or holiday spread. Enjoy. (And as my dad says, eat your greens!)

Sautéed Kale with Tahini Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound kale, well rinsed

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• Salt

• 4 Tbsp tahini (use tahini made with toasted sesame seeds, not raw)

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 3-4 Tbsp water

• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1 Using a sharp paring knife, cut out the rib of each kale leaf. Discard or compost. Slice the leaves roughly 1/2-inch thick.

2 Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a large sauté pan. When hot, add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.

3 Add the kale to the sauté pan. Even if you have a pretty large pan, the kale will be practically falling out of it. Put in as much as you can and use tongs to turn over and mix with the oil and onions. After a couple minutes the kale should wilt a bit so you can add the rest of the raw kale. Cook, turning the kale leaves over occasionally until the kales leaves have wilted and are tender. Sprinkle a little salt over the kale leaves while cooking.

4 While the kale is cooking, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and dark sesame oil. Add more salt and sesame oil to taste.

5 Once the kale is done, toss in the sauce, reserving a little to drizzle on top. Serve, topped with a little sauce and toasted sesame seeds.

Yield: Serves 4.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/sauteed_kale_with_tahini_sauce/