One Pot Crowd Pleaser: sausage, chix, rice, (veg)
life is hard; food doesn't have to be #66 [vol2, 9.4]
Experience has taught me the name of the dish often affects the receptivity. I’m calling this: Sausage, Chicken and Rice. Start with the mention of the meats and omit the name of any veggies. The official name of this recipe is “Chicken Collards Pilau.”
It’s gluten-free and dairy free; makes a lot. Leftovers freeze well. Take for lunches for a week. Or maybe send half to an ailing friend. Chop/prep everything days or hours ahead or chop as you cook. When I had small children, I started chopping veggies after breakfast with hopes to have dinner on the table at 6pm. Many of these veggies you can find in the frozen aisle already prepped for you!
Because of the quantity, it holds heat well. Start at 3pm, finish at 4pm and it will still be warm at 8pm if you keep it covered.
Ingredients
One pound sausage (ground, andouille or kielbasa), highest quality you can source
~2 pounds boneless skinless thighs, cubed, can substitute breasts
1-2 onions, chopped
2-3 ribs celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
8-12 oz mushrooms, chopped (pulverized or omitted if you have haters). I blitzed in a food processor the day before. Because it resembles sausage my haters were unaware!
12-16 oz bag of riced cauliflower, fresh or frozen (they will never know it’s there!)
2 cups white rice, uncooked. I prefer organic basmati or jasmine.
3 cups broth, here’s how to make homemade
½ t crushed red pepper flakes, don’t be afraid
½ t black pepper
2-3 t sea salt, in layers
10-16 oz frozen kale or collards or 4 packed cups of fresh. Spinach can be used but it sometimes is stringy once cooked so just be sure to rough chop if using fresh.
Instructions
Rinse rice to remove excess starch. Isn’t 100% necessary but I like the texture best when rice is rinsed.
Preheat oven to 350*.
Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Then cook the sausage, 5-7 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. If using kielbasa, slice and sear for maximum flavor. Sprinkle with salt then add your chopped onion. Sprinkle it with salt again. This is what I mean by salting in layers: add salt a little at a time instead of pouring in a big amount at the end.
I used local ground sausage from FarmGirl and it was quite lean; no excess fat in the bottom. If you are using grocery store pork, I recommend pouring out excess fat. Local sausage will be rich in vitamin D so I leave any in the pan (but there wasn’t any).
Once the onion is translucent add cubed chicken, stir and sprinkle with salt. Add the veggies as they are chopped. I save the delicate greens to be added just before serving.
Add black and red pepper flakes, stir.
Pour 3 cups of broth in the pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the rinsed rice and stir again and bring to a simmer. If using unsalted homemade broth, add 1t of salt.
Cover with an oven safe lid (no plastic handle) or foil and put into a preheated oven.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring after 15 minutes.
While dinner is baking, clean the kitchen.
Once rice is fully cooked, be sure to stir in the greens.
Serve with a fermented veggie, like sauerkraut.
Leftovers: Change things up by smothering with cheese and reheating, covered, in the oven.
The list is long of ingredients, but isn’t a difficult recipe. It’s very yummy! Let me know when you make it.
Other Recipes This Week
Wild Mushroom Soup - using a variety of mushrooms found at the farmers’ market.
Fermented red jalapeños for hot sauce, making a second batch soon with habaneros for more heat.
In case you missed it: my husband reviewed 2 types of tuna from Costco. And I started elderberry tincture this morning. It’s different from my usual syrup.
My kids and I are taking a class at Art is in Cakes tonight (it’s near Teaberry Kombucha on Markham). You can participate live or via video - on demand, even.
Life is hard, food doesn’t have to be,
Julie