This is one of those “fun” foods that you think you can’t have anymore because you are trying to “be healthy” or “lose some weight”. Well – no more! It’s fair season (not to mention football season ….. did I ever mention I’m a football fan?); and in my younger (and dumber) days I used to love to get a big, greasy sausage sub at the Rochester Fair. I  learned that one of those costs much more than the few dollars they charge you. I always had to pay with a very uncomfortable bloated feeling accompanied by stomach cramps and general nausea followed by the uncontrollable urge to take a nap. But I have found a great alternative to give me the same fun factor without any of the unpleasant side effects. These go great with what we call “Fun Potatoes” (recipe below). I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.

Sausage & Pepper Subs

1/2 package Tofurkey Italian Sausages (2 links)
1 green pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 yellow (or red or orange) pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 onion, sliced into thin strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fat-free cheddar cheese, shredded
4 100% whole wheat hot dog rolls

Slice each Torukey sausage in half lengthwise; set aside. In large frying pan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onion and saute for several minutes (until the peppers start to get soft and the onion is lightly browned). Add the garlic and saute for another 1 -2 minutes. At this point add the sausages to the pan, cut side down. These sausages are pre-cooked, so you will only need to warm and lightly brown them. While the sausages are browning, divide the peppers and onions into four equal piles in the pan. Top each pile with 2 Tablespoons of the cheese and allow to melt. I like to toast the rolls in the pan for a minute or so, if you don’t have a large enough pan, a toaster oven will do the trick. To assemble, add one 1/2 link to each roll and top with the peppers/onion/cheese mixture. Yum…Yum 🙂

Fun Potatoes

3 red potatoes, sliced into “french fries”
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
dash of black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a baking sheet with non-fat cooking spray. Place all ingredients into a bowl and toss well. Spread in a single layer onto baking sheet. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes.

This is one of my favorite meals. It’s one of those comfort foods that taste great on a cold night and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It reminds me of being a kid when my mother would make Shepherd’s Pie; although hers was ground beef, corn, and mashed potatoes. It was still great, but not exactly the healthiest meal. This vegetarian version is even heartier while  being much lower in calories, fat and sodium, but higher in protein and fiber- and amazingly delicious!! Some of you may say “oh but it’s high in carbs”….yes, you are right….GOOD carbs. There is a difference. I’ve also swapped out half of the potatoes in the topping, for rutabagas. Potatoes have about 22 g of carbs in a cup, but rutabagas have only 7. Trust me, try it – you will love it 😀

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

3 potatoes, cut into cubes
3 rutabagas, cut into cubes
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 – 1/2 cups eggplant, diced
1 – 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 – 15 oz. can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 16 oz. can low sodium kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 16 oz. can low sodium garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 – 8 oz. cans no salt added tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons plain, low fat Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon chives
1/4 cup low cheddar and/or jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 9″ pie plate with non-fat cooking spray; set aside.

In large saucepan, combine potatoes and rutabagas, with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until rutabagas are very soft (the potatoes will be soft before the rutabagas are done).

Meanwhile, in saute pan; cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are just soft. Add pepper, basil, thyme, oregano, cayenne and eggplant. Continue cooking for 4 – 5 minutes. Add the corn, cook for a minute or so (until the corn is thawed). Add the beans and tomato sauce; mix well. Place mixture into pie plate.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain and return them to the pan. Mash well and then add the yogurt and chives; mix until well blended and smooth. Top with cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes. Increase oven to broil and allow the top to get a nice golden brown (watch carefully).

The Story of Stone Soup

Once upon a time, somewhere in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which people jealously hoarded whatever food they could find, hiding it even from their friends and neighbors. One day a wandering soldier came into a village and began asking questions as if he planned to stay for the night.

“There’s not a bite to eat in the whole province,” he was told. “Better keep moving on.”

“Oh, I have everything I need,” he said. “In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you.” He pulled an iron cauldron from his wagon, filled it with water, and built a fire under it. Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a velvet bag and dropped it into the water.

By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come to the square or watched from their windows. As the soldier sniffed the “broth” and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their skepticism.

“Ahh,” the soldier said to himself rather loudly, “I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage — that’s hard to beat.”

Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage he’d retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot. “Capital!” cried the soldier. “You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king.”

The village butcher managed to find some salt beef . . . and so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for all. The villagers offered the soldier a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell and traveled on the next day. The moral is that by working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.

I always loved that story. I was thinking about it the other night when Eric and I were having the daily “what’s for dinner” discussion. It was finally a cool fall-like day here in Tennessee; it had been such a long, hot, humid summer that I thought it was never going to cool down again! I found the story on line and decided – “that’s what’s for dinner!”. We had a fridge full of various veggies from our weekly organic basket and we didn’t want any  of it to go to waste. The types of vegetables can be anything that you have on hand, the more variety, the better! I didn’t actually add a stone to the pot, but if you have kids; reading the story and then making the soup together could be a great way to get them to eat some vegetables 😉

Stone Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup baby carrots, cut into thirds
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower, cut into bit size pieces
1 cup rutabagas, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup yellow squash, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 quart fat-free, low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 – 15.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes, no salt added
2 – 15.5 oz. cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
Fat-free mozzarella cheese

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, saute the onion  for 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining vegetables; season with basil, oregano, thyme and pepper. Saute for 6 – 8 more minutes; add garlic and saute for another minute. Add in the broth and bring to a boil, cook for approximately 8  minutes (until the veggies are done to your liking). Place the tomatoes (with their juice)  into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the tomato puree along with the beans to the soup. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes to allow the flavors to blend and heat the beans. To serve, place about a 1/4 cup of mozzarella in the bottom of a soup bowl and then fill with the soup! Yum 🙂 this also goes great with “Garlic Balls“!