Search This Blog

Showing posts with label homemade. Show all posts

Homemade Italian Sausage with Peppers, Onions, and Spinach

I am always looking for new ways to make a quick meal that is both nutritious and delicious. This Italian Sausage recipe with peppers, onions, and spinach is not only both, but also super easy to pull together any day of the week. 
We almost always have the ingredients in stock in our fridge and it always delivers.  The spice blend is easy and you probably have everything in your pantry right now. 
This dish is full of flavor and delicious on its own or over some cauliflower rice, white rice, or gluten-free pasta tossed in butter. Super kid-friendly, too!
We also like to add a dollop of homemade ranch dressing (I use this recipe), for a richness that really satisfies. If you like your Italian sausage hot, feel free to add a few shakes of crushed red pepper before serving.
Homemade Italian Sausage with Peppers, Onions, and Spinach Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
1 lb of ground pork (organic and/or pasture-raised)
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp avocado oil (or cooking fat of choice)
1/4 cup broth (ideally homemade bone broth)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt + a pinch
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano, dried
1 tsp basil, dried
1 tsp parsley, dried
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
large handful chopped spinach (1-2 cups, loosely packed)
Recipe Directions:
1. Over medium-high heat, heat 1 tbsp of avocado oil in a large skillet or pot.
2. Saute peppers and onions with a pinch of salt for about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits, and lower heat to medium.
4. Move peppers and onions to the perimeter, making space in the middle to add the ground pork. Break up pork with a wooden spoon and add the garlic and all of the spices. Stir to combine and cover.
5. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring and re-covering occasionally, until pork is no longer pink.
6. Lower heat to medium-low and add chopped spinach. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy!
XOXO,
SMP

How to Make Ghee at Home!


Almost 4 cups of homemade ghee!
I first learned about ghee when I was starting my first Whole30. It was the only "dairy" item that was allowed on the program so I immediately started doing some research and tried to track it down in my local grocery stores. Basically, ghee is clarified butter that has been removed of all of the milk solids. Since most people cannot tolerate those tricky milk solids, you are left with a product that is easy on the stomach and just a purely delicious fat that can stand up to higher heats (it's the milk solids that turn brown when you burn butter).  It took me a while to finally track down this heavenly buttery product, and when I did I paid a little over $10 for a 10 ounce jar. OUCH!

I've since been purchasing ghee at about $5.99 per 8 oz jar - but still - VERY EXPENSIVE. To us, it was worth it as it really does add some wonderful flavor to our morning eggs or when we pan-fry our rib-eye steaks. When I recently found out that you can EASILY make your own ghee at home, I knew I had to give it a shot!

I followed the general principles in this post and ended up with almost 72 ounces of beautiful ghee for only $7.58.  That sounds like a bargain to me! And it was SO EASY. Easier than I thought. I will probably never buy ghee again from the store.

Here's how it went down last night:

Ingredients/Items Needed:

Crockpot, 2 lbs of organic butter, and a cheese cloth
Step 1: Place all butter into a crockpot. Set on low and leave crockpot uncovered for about 3 hours.


After about an hour or so, you can already see the milk solids separating and either floating to the top or sinking to the bottom.

Step 2: After about 3 hours, take a glass jar big enough to hold all of your fresh ghee and cover the opening with a cheese cloth. I folded the cloth so that the ghee had to seep through 4 layers of cloth. Using a small ladle, slowly ladle the ghee through the cloth and watch the deliciously golden ghee fill up your jar and leave those stinky milk solids behind!

This is the culprit for many upset stomachs!

Step 3: Tightly seal your ghee and admire it. You just successfully made ghee and saved yourself a lot of money in the process!
This should last us a while!

Step 4: While I've read that ghee does not need to be refrigerated, with this much ghee, I'd rather make sure it keeps safely for a while. Once the ghee cools, it turns solid and looks more like butter again.

Almost 4 cups of homemade ghee!
Seriously, I don't think I've been more proud of something I've made at home. Well, maybe when I made homemade mayo for the first time! Who knew this stuff could be so easy?!