I found the perfect recipe that’s perfect for multiple situations (and I know this because each of these has been tested!);
Situation #1: Walking in the door after a long day of work and not feeling like making dinner, at all.
Situation #2: Having my parents over for dinner, last minute.
Situation #3: Nick’s playing poker later in the evening and he wants me to pack him a dinner to take with him.
The following recipe takes about ten minutes and involves minimal clean-up. It’s great! And that’s not to mention the amazing nutrition profile (see below).
White Beans, Chicken Sausage, and Kale
Source: Nutrition Action Newsletter
Serves 4
1/2 lb. Italian chicken sausages (nitrate-free is best)**
5 garlic cloves, sliced**
1 T olive oil
2-15 ounce cans of great northern beans**
3/4 lb. kale (about 5-6 large handfuls)
1 T balsamic vinegar
** Note: If you are following the low FODMAPs diet, omit the garlic cloves and use garlic EVOO instead of regular EVOO (so you can still get that garlic taste). Also, be aware that most Italian sausages have garlic and/or onion in them, so limit your portion. Lastly, take a Beano with your beans!**
Directions
Remove sausage from its casing (if it was in casing) and chop into small pieces. Saute in the oil until browned (about 5 minutes). Remove the sausage and reserve it to the side.
Saute the garlic until just golden, about 1 minute. Add the beans with their liquid and stir in the kale, a few handfuls at a time. Simmer until the kale is tender, about 2 minutes, adding more water if needed to keep the beans moist.
Stir the sausage into the beans and kale. Season with black pepper and balsamic vinegar.
VOILA!
I know, I know, this is the worst lighting ever. Sorry. I promise this tasted better than it necessarily looks.
I served this (when my parents came over) with roasted Brussel sprouts. Yeah, it was a lot of “green”, but I really wanted roasted Brussel sprouts on this particular evening.
Nick said, and I quote “I could eat this every night”.
Ummm…. OK!
And if you’re wondering how you can tell if your sausage contains nitrates or nitrites, check out the ingredient list;
They would be listed here in the ingredient list if they were added to the product (ex: sodium nitrate).
Estimated Nutrition Facts
(Serving size: 1/4 of total recipe)
QUESTION: Do you like kale? I recently read a fun post about kale on Lauren’s blog (Foodtrainers). It’s basically the “cool vegetable” this year (last year it was Brussel sprouts). I even have a shirt that says KALE!
What are your plans for the weekend?? I work on Saturday but have Sunday off. I plan to get outside if it’s nice again and go for a wedding dress fitting. I can’t wait to finally get in it again!
