Food: Lamb Stew

While most families fight over the last decadent cupcake or buttery roll, our family has a tendency to fight over vegtables. To make everyone happy and to curb our cravings we make big stews with a high veggie ratio. One of our favorites: Lamb stew!

Ingredients: 

• 1 sweet onion
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 lamb kebabs preferably seasoned with rosemary and garlic. 
• 4 yellow potatoes
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes 
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 carrots chopped
• 4 stocks of celery chopped with tops for flavor
• any other additional vegetables, we added broccoli, zucchini,  and squash 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp rosemary 
• 1 10 oz box of couscous 

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat until heated.  Add chopped onions and garlic, cook for about 3 minutes until they starts to brown. Add lamb and saute until it browns. 
• Add carrots and celery cook for about 5 minutes until they have softened. Then add any additional vegetables and potatoes. 
• Stir in crushed tomatoes and 4 cups broth. Bring to a simmer, covered for 30 minutes. 
• Add spices to taste and serve over couscous.

Ellie & Maddie 

Recipes: Brussels Sprouts & Sausage

While on our family ski vacation we try and cook healthy and filling dinners after a full day of skiing.  This year, we made this dish adapted from a  New York Times recipe.  To lower the oil content and add more protein we substituted chicken sausage for pancetta and eliminated the butter and cheese.  We knew it had to be a  great dish since it included Brussels sprouts, Ellie's favorite vegetable. 

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz whole wheat pasta 
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz chicken sausage
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 8 oz Brussels sprouts thinly sliced 
• 3 oz Pesto

Directions:

• Bring pot of salted water to boil, add pasta and cook until just al dente.
• Meanwhile, heat a larger saute pan over high head and add olive oil. When hot add chicken sausage and rosemary and saute until the sausage starts to to brown slightly. Add garlic and saute for about three minutes. 
• Add Brussels sprouts, a large pinch of salt, and a splash of water, and saute until sprouts just start to soften, about two minutes. Spread the Brussels sprouts minutes to the pan and press down to flatten. Let sear for a minute, then stir and repeated. This helps brown the sprouts. 
• Drain pasta and add to Brussels sprout mixture. Add pesto cook, tossing until well mixed.  
• Serves 4 or more. 

We definitely want to make this dinner again! We ended up having lots of left overs for lunch the next day. We served this dish with a mixed green salad and Annie's great garlic dressing. Even Ellie's husband, Jay, thought the meal was hearty enough for him. We hope you enjoy!

Ellie & Maddie