My friend Erin and I have been friends for going on 20 years now (I just cringed as I typed that because I can't believe we are getting that old now) and she has been blogging for a little over a year now (click here for Erin's blog). She was my biggest supporter when I initially said that I wanted to give blogging a whirl.
A friend of mine also writes for the Renegade Chicks, which is written by a great group of ladies. They write about everything under the sun related to women from work to dating to TV shows. I definitely recommend it!
Most recently, Jess, a friend from college, started a blog of g-free recipes. As roommates in Rome during our semester of study abroad, we we ate our fair share of bread and pasta. Things have clearly changed a lot since then. She writes Gluten Free For All (love the name!) and features a number of recipes made from fresh ingredients. I recently made her "Kale, Heirloom cherry tomatoes, and Chicken Sausage" recipe, but tweaked it a little bit. I also served it with polenta, which was a first for me.
Chicken Sausage with Kale and Grape Tomatoes
Serves 4
Adapted from Gluten Free For All
1 Package of your favorite chicken sausages (I love Premio... they have a few flavors too)
4 cloves of garlic (again, I use a lot of garlic when I cook), sliced or chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (or any small tomatoes that look good to you)
6 cups kale, chopped (I know it sounds like a lot, but it wilts down to a small fraction of that)
1/2 cup of chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
Remove the sausage from the casing and break into smaller pieces. I always do this with sausage because I like the uneven texture and I think it helps the sausage meld with the other flavors. Place the sausage in a large frying pan over medium heat, break it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned (cooking time will depend on type of sausage). When cooked through, remove from heat and place cooked sausage on a plate lined with paper towels.
Next, heat up the olive oil over medium heat in the same pan. Cook the chopped garlic for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the red onion to the pan and cook about two minutes until they are more translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook another two minutes until warmed through. Then add the kale to the pan, cook for two minutes, tossing it with the other ingredients. Place a lid on the pan for two minutes, which will help it to wilt. Pour in the chicken broth to the pan which will release any sausage or flavors stuck to the pan. Add the chicken sausage back and cook until chicken sausage is warmed through. You can also place the pan over low heat to keep warm while you prepare the polenta.
Polenta
Okay so this was my first time making polenta. I used a box of instant polenta. You definitely want to have all of your attention on the polenta, which is why I recommend making the rest of the meal first and keeping it warm on the burner. Cook the polenta according to the directions. You need to add it slowly and whisk it constantly to avoid clumping. While whisking, you can add butter, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste. For every four servings of polenta, I would add 1 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Depending on the brand, it's basically done in five minutes.
I spooned some on a plate and put the chicken sausage mixture over top. It was delicious and the polenta was a great base for the meal. I definitely need to keep working on the polenta as mine still had some lumps in it. I also want to work on other mix-in's too. It was still really delicious, but I actually liked what I did with the leftovers better than the first night. I will be posting on leftover solutions soon!
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