Letting It Stew

Perfect for a cold night:

Italian sausage and white bean stew
Warm hummus and pita bread
Spinach and arugula salad with carrots and dried cranberries and roasted garlic vinaigrette
Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and red grapes
Peanut butter bars

I threw the stew together an hour before dinner, and it turned out delicious! It was easy since I used convenience foods. Here is the recipe, more or less.

Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew

4 cups vegetable broth
half of a large onion, cut into large chunks
1 t minced garlic
1 15oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5oz can of petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
1 t oregano
1 t basil
pepper to taste
1/2 cup of uncooked brown rice
2 veggie Italian-style sausage links, cut into rounds

Saute onion in a bit of oil in a large pot. Add garlic. After garlic and onion are browned, add vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, oregano, basil, pepper, and rice. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes. Check occasionally to see if you need to add more water as the rice cooks. After 45 minutes, add the sausage and cook another 15 minutes, covered. Adjust liquid and salt to preference.

The peanut butter bars was a new recipe for me to try today, too. If you close your eyes they almost taste like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Almost. Okay, kinda. But they are still really good!

Peanut Butter Bars

3/4 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1/3-1/2 cup honey, for desired sweetness
1/2 t vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1/4 t salt
1 cup carob chips

Icing:
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 T tofu milk powder or powdered milk
1 T cornstarch
1-2 T honey
1/4 t vanilla
1-2 t water to thin icing for spreading or drizzling

Cream together peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Add salt and flour and mix together. Add oats last and mix together. Press into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Sprinkle carob chips evenly over the hot cookie crust. Let chips stand until soft. When soft, use a spatula to spread the chips over the crust. Let cool.

Mix together icing ingredients and spread or drizzle over the carob layer. Cut into bars.

****I used whole wheat pastry flour. I didn't use the powdered soy milk since I didn't have any--but I used rice milk instead of water in the icing. I also substituted the carob chips for vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips.


And I forgot this photo yesterday:

I made this delicious sounding lunch "pumpkin penne with sage pesto" that was horrible. I couldn't eat it and the two older kids hated it. The baby, however, loved it. They all aren't winners!

You?