Apple Chicken Sausage with Roasted Butternut Squash and couscous

When chicken sausage goes on sale, I scoop it up.  You've seen the spicy, Italian and garlic options, but have you ever seen Al Fresco's Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage and thought to yourself, "what on earth would I do with that?!"  Cooking with apples always makes me think of fall and all its wonderful flavors -- so why not put them all into one dish?  I also had apples and a butternut squash on hand, so I took it from there.

Eggplant Dahl with yellow split peas

Dahl (dal) is a thick stew-like dish made from dried lentils, peas or beans and provides a protein punch for people on a mostly vegetarian diet.  For people on a budget, this is a winner!  A pound of yellow split peas for a dollar along with an eggplant and some crisper staples will provide you with at least 6-8 servings!  Instead of using a ton of individual spices to liven it up, I choose to use Penzey's Garam Masala.  It's a lovely mix of coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, charnushka, caraway, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.

Broccoli Rabe - Rapini

Broccoli Rabe with quinoa, brown rice and cranberries

Broccoli rabe, aka rapini, is a member of the turnip family and is a common Italian sidedish. It has a slightly bitter quality and it reminds me of a mix of spinach, broccoli and kale. A bunch of Andy Boy brand rabe ($2.39) from the market is enough for 4 servings. It packs a good dose of Vitamins A & C as well as calcium and iron. Cooking it in the correct manner (blanching it before sauteing) will eliminate a majority of its bitterness. 

Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread

I was recently lent an issue of Fine Cooking magazine - and immediately decided that I had to make every single recipe in it. I haven't made them all yet, but I started out with this one that really spoke to me. Ellie Krieger is a nutritionist who hosts a show on the Food Network. I've always loved her healthier recipes, so this one for olive oil pumpkin bread made my mouth water!