Brat and cabbage soup

Bad pic; good soup!

I've been waiting for a day cool enough for soup; today was the day! I'd been wanting to try out this recipe I spied on Taste of Home recently, when I was trying to figure out how to use up some leftover sausages -- including some grilled bratwurst.

This soup exceeded my expectations! I love that it takes one of my husband's favorite foods (brats/sausage), and makes it into a fairly healthy meal! Kick it up to the next level by serving with a hearty bread made into garlic toast.

Bonus: it's really easy! We'll definitely be having this again.

I halved the original recipe, since I was cooking for two. (The recipe below is the half portion.) Double these quantities to serve a larger group, or to have some to put in the freezer. Several reviewers said that it tasted just as good if not better, reheated the second day, so this would make a great make-ahead meal, too.

Leave out the beans to make it Paleo and Whole30 compliant.

Brat and Cabbage Soup Recipe

Serves 4

2 cups chicken broth or stock (or more, for a long simmer)
2 - 3 medium carrots
1 stalk celery
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
2 - 3 brats, cooked according to package directions
1.5 cups shredded cabbage
1 can (14 oz.) great northern beans, rinsed and drained (optional*)

Put the broth on to boil in a large saucepan. Chop the carrots, celery and onion into bite-size chunks, and add them to the saucepan, along with the seasonings. Once the mixture boils, turn it down to medium low and simmer till the carrots are tender.

Slice the brats in half lengthwise, then into half- to one-inch slices; add them to the pot and heat through. At this point, you can turn the heat to low and let it all simmer till 20 minutes before serving time. If the broth gets too low, add a little more chicken stock. Or put some or all in the freezer for a future meal.

About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, add the shredded cabbage and beans. Stir gently and continue to simmer. Serve with fresh-from-the-oven garlic toast.

*To make this a lower carb dish -- with balanced carbs and proteins -- just leave out the beans. Here's the nutrition info with beans:

Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
Calories 276
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13 g	20 %
Saturated Fat 5 g	25 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 38 mg	13 %
Total Carbohydrate 26 g	9 %
Dietary Fiber 8 g	31 %
Sugars 5 g
Protein 16 g	32 %

And here it is without:

Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
Calories 206
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13 g	20 %
Saturated Fat 5 g	25 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 38 mg	13 %
Total Carbohydrate 11 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	10 %
Sugars 5 g
Protein 11 g	21 %

Ten (or so) Healthier Superbowl Foods - 2013

Looking for the perfect superbowl food? Here are 10 that sound totally yummy! And for bonus points, some of them are low carb, paleo, and/or reduced sugar!

Meatball Sub Casserole from AllRecipes. (I'm not making any "good for you" claims on this one!)

Hot Shrimp Scampi Dip from Go Bold With Butter. (Or this one!)

Shrimp Cocktail with Low-Sugar Cocktail Sauce from Kalyn's Kitchen (Kalyn always has great low-carb recipes)

Grilled Zucchini "Lasagna" with Italian Sausage, also from Kalyn's Kitchen

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder from Lulu the Baker. Doesn't this sound scrumptious on a cold day?

Sausage and Peppers from Proud Italian Cook. We made this for Christmas brunch last year and it was a big hit! Easy to make ahead, and cheap and easy way to feed a crowd.Grilled the sausages the day before. (Chill them before slicing. Makes slicing easier and retains more juiciness.)

Avocado Deviled Eggs with Bacon from Caveman Gourmet. Intriguing!

Summer Squash (or Zucchini) Topped with Sausage and Cheese from yours truly! These can be mostly-made ahead, then baked or reheated at the last minute.

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas (with Avocado) from Half Hour Meals

No-bake Energy Bites from Smashed Peas and Carrots. Use the syrupy sweetener of your choice: honey, maple or agave. And experiment with mix-ins: chocolate, craisins, cashews...

Happy "Sneak some zucchini onto your neighbor's porch" Day!

And what to do with said zucchini (or summer squash) if you're the lucky recipient.

Whether it was you or your neighbor who planted too much zucchini this year, here are a few recipes for using up that infamous garden bounty. (Summer squash is its yellow cousin; no significant difference in taste.)

Pizza bites. They are cute; also the perfect size to pop in your mouth whole. Easy, gluten-free appetizer or snack.

Summer squash (or zucchini) topped with sausage and cheese. A quick easy dish to prep ahead of time, and then assemble and cook in about 15 minutes.

Zucchini noodles with peanut sauce. Quick-and-easy, low carb, and tasty, too!

For those who are looking for something sweet, and aren't trying to avoid flour, here are a couple recipes for you. 

Elise's Grandma's zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting! This sounds like carrot cake -- one of the few cakes I will always be willing to blow my diet for! I haven't tried this recipe, but it's from SimplyRecipes, and every recipe I've ever tried there has been a winner. I'm sure this one is no different.

Zucchini bread. If you've never tried zucchini bread, you really must! It's a sweet quick bread (read "muffin-like"), akin to banana bread, but without the banana overtones. You really don't taste the zucchini at all; it just lends moisture to the party. The predominant flavors come from the cinnamon and sugar. And you know that can't be bad! 

       I made this recipe from AllRecipes earlier this week to take to a ladies social, because it was rated five stars after more than 3,800 reviews! And it was a hit with everyone, but it's a little sweet for me as is. If you are, like me, living a mostly sugar-free life, you might want to cut back on the sugar by 1/4 to 3/4 cup. (Here's a healthier version I haven't tried.) 

Summer squash topped with sausage and cheese -- or just cheese

This is a quick easy dish to prep ahead of time, and then assemble and cook in about 15 minutes. It evolved from a recipe for stuffed portobello mushrooms -- which is good, don't get me wrong! -- but I think I like it better on squash.

In these pictures, I was testing a batch without the sundried tomatoes, but I don't recommend skipping them. I think they add an important zing to the dish.

Recipe: Summer squash topped with sausage and cheese

 Ready In: 30 Minutes      Servings: 3

1/2 cup Jimmy Dean® Original Hearty Turkey Sausage Crumbles

1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend, divided

2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1 T. finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated

1 medium summer squash

Optional for plain squash slices:

olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine sausage, half of the shredded cheese, ricotta cheese, onions and tomatoes in medium bowl. 

Lay the squash flat on cutting board, and cut off the bottom on a diagonal.

Slice the rest of the squash, parallel to the first cut, in approximately 1/2" thick slabs. 

You'll have some large diameter slices and some small ones. If you're prepping this meal early in the day, you can put everything in the fridge now to hold till you're ready to bake.

Lay the slices on the prepared baking sheet. Divide the sausage mixture among the slices; first just dump some on (shown upper left in the photo below), then pat it down with your fingers (shown in the top second one). Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the sausage mixture.

You may top all the slices this way, or you can use the two or three smallest ones without the sausage topping. If you're not topping all the slices, brush the bare ones with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until squash is just tender. Remove from the oven. 

Sprinkle the plain slices with grated parmesan. 

Serve it all up. Yummmm!