Despite the shenanigans of the past week, it seems that nothing is ever so stressful that it puts me off my feed! Thank goodness for our winter CSA, and relationships with local farmers. Instead of completely reverting to processed junk food during trying times, I can still make satisfying comfort food using healthful ingredients. My waistband may not know the difference, but at least my liver should be grateful that I’m pigging out on seasonal and chemical-free food. This concoction was inspired both by an old stand-by of mine from my misguided high-carb youth, and a recent kale-and-bacon recipe from Things My Belly Likes.
What could be more comforting during these cold, wet days of winter than a warm meal based on pork, cheese, and pasta?
Brown Rice Pasta with Sausage and Kale
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet, brown 1/2 pound of crumbled Italian sausage. Add finely sliced onions and diced mushrooms, and 4 cups of cleaned, chopped kale. (No, it’s not too much kale, trust me!) Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Toss together, cover the skillet, and turn the heat to low.
Four cups of kale cooks down and snuggles in with sausage, onions, and mushrooms.
In a medium pot, cook 1/2 package of brown rice spaghetti according to directions. Meanwhile, grate 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and thinly slice the green stalks of 4-6 scallions.
The brown rice pasta makes this dish gluten-free. Feel free to substitute wheat products if you are not sensitive.
Drain the cooked pasta, and add a touch more olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Toss the pasta in with the sausage/kale mixture until well-coated. Add the scallions and Parmesan. Serve with crushed hot pepper.
There are so many layers of texture and flavor in this two-pot recipe. So rich and comforting!
This makes a main course for two people. If these two people are extra-hungry, add a fresh salad made of hoop-house greens tossed with oil and vinegar with some finely-chopped fresh winter veggies. If you are really watching your carbs, you could eliminate the pasta entirely, and just add a few more cups of kale to the original skillet (and cut down the housekeeping to just one dirty pot, to boot!)
Enjoy, and stay warm.
I think I will give this a try, we need something to warm us up with the weather we are getting at the moment. Just looked up the CSA, it sounds a very interesting scheme, is it USA wide or just your state?
The CSAs are all across the US, more or less. We don’t have a lot of farmer’s markets around this area (although that is improving, slowly) and many developments don’t allow vegetable gardening. So the CSA model is wonderful for getting access to fresh, local produce. Consumers develop a better understanding of the work and risks involved in farming, and what foods are truly in season. And the farmers can experiment with unusual crops…this week, among other items, we got black radishes, red turnips, and white sweet potatoes!
Sounds so good, I kinda want it for breakfast…is that wrong?
How could something be wrong when it tastes so right???
that is my kind of meal!!! I hope you saved some for me!!! LOL