Apple Chicken Sausages with Sauteed Apples and Onions

This is a really simple and delicious meal.  It's a fairly versatile dish and can be served for dinner or even brunch.  This would be great with a french toast casserole.  :)  I served this alongside brown rice and broccoli, but I'm sure this would be great with some stuffing or a baked sweet potato.

My favorite part about this meal is the sauteed apples and onions.  They have a slight sweetness from the agave syrup and a warm, homey (not as in the clown, as in feeling like home!) flavor from the poultry seasoning.

Apple Chicken Sausages with Sauteed Apples and Onions
Serves: 2

One package of apple chicken sausage (I used Nature's Promise)
Nonstick spray
One large onion, thinly sliced
One medium apple, thinly sliced and skin on (I used a delicious since that's what I had on hand but any type will work)
1 T agave syrup
1 1/2 t poultry seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat two skillets - One for the sausages and one for the onions and apples (this one should be large enough for the onion mixture and sausages).  Spray both skillets with nonstick spray.  Preheat oven to 350℉.  Once the skillets are warm, add the sausages to one skillet and the onions to the other.  Turn the sausages to brown on all sides.  You don't need to worry about cooking them all the way through as they will finish cooking in the oven.

Cook the onions until almost tender and add the apples.  Cook a few minutes more until the apples are almost done, but not too soft.  Add agave syrup, poultry seasoning and, if using, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Add the sausages to the onion mixture and place in the oven until the sausages are thoroughly cooked, about 10-12 minutes (when sliced, the juices should run clear).

Enjoy!

Toaster Oven Tostadas!

That's right.  Your eyes didn't fool you.  This is a recipe for tostadas...  Made in a toaster oven*.  They took me about 15 minutes total - From gathering the ingredients and making the tostadas to sitting down and enjoying them with a glass of Rioja.  The best part of this is there is little to no clean-up which is always a bonus on a work night.  They're healthy, filling and delicious.  Although this recipe is for one serving, you can quite easily make it for more.

¡Olé!

* While this recipe was made in a toaster oven, you can easily make these in a standard oven.

Toaster Oven Tostadas
Servings: 1

Two corn tortillas
Nonstick spray
1/2 cup canned black beans
A couple dashes of chipotle tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar
2 T reduced fat sour cream
2 T salsa
1/4 cup lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup tomato, seeded and diced

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  Place the tortillas on the cookie sheet and lightly spray with nonstick spray (this helps crisp the tortillas).  Toast the tortillas on a low to medium setting until the tortillas' edges just begin to curl (about 3-5 minutes).  Remove the cookie sheet from the toaster oven and turn the oven to 300℉.

Place 1/4 cup of black beans on each of the tortillas.  Sprinkle tabasco sauce over the beans and top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of cheese.  Place the cookie sheet back in the preheated toaster oven and cook for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Divide the lettuce, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream between the tortillas and enjoy.

Spinach and Asparagus Frittata

I love frittatas!  They're quick, easy and versatile.  Best of all, you can use whatever you have in the fridge. It's a great way to use leftover veggies from last night's dinner!  This frittata has the asparagus that was leftover from last night as well as the egg whites I had set aside when I made ice cream (post to come soon!).  :)

Like many frittatas, this one came together pretty quickly.  From start to finish, it took about 15 minutes which would make this a great weeknight meal or a last minute brunch dish.  Frittatas are great since you can add just about anything and can be served at any meal - Hot or cold!  The best part is that one serving of this frittata is 210 calories.  I served it along some Ezequiel toast (yum!) and grapes for some added, delicious fiber.

Recipe:
Serves 2

2 whole large eggs
3 egg whites
A couple tablespoons of water (optional)
1 cup raw baby spinach
1/2 cup cooked asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese (or any cheese you like)
Nonstick spray

Heat a nonstick, oven safe skillet and coat with nonstick spray.  Preheat broiler on high and move one of the racks directly under the broiler.

Beat the eggs.  If you'd like to slightly increase the volume, add 1 - 2 T of water (I added about 1T).  Once the skillet is warm, add the asparagus and heat through.  Add the spinach and toss with asparagus to wilt slightly.  Pour eggs over the veggies and stir slightly and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until the eggs are almost done and sprinkle with the cheese.

Place the skillet under the broiler and cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.  I usually leave the door propped open while the frittata is cooking because the frittata can go from browned to burned in a matter of seconds!  Cool slightly and cut frittata into quarters.  Enjoy!