Recipe Review from 3/10/2014

It's warm (54*).  It's cold (-5*).  It snows a little (dusting).  It snows a lot (14").  Welcome to Spring in Duluth.   Only one new recipe for the week as meals were kept a bit basic.  Which is okay. 

The Meal Plan:

Mon (yoga) - leftover Rogan Josh from previous week
Tues (yoga) - leftover Rogan Josh from previous week
Wed (Husband at Bullseye) - homemade 'raman noodle soup'
Thurs (yoga) - Sausage Soup with Wild Rice and Spinach
Fri - leftover soup
Sat (L) grilled cheese and tomato soup  (s) leftover soup


Sausage Soup with Wild Rice and Spinach  (Ckng Lght, Oct 2000)  gluten free
This was simplified a bit because I already had some wild rice pre-cooked and frozen.  I also doubled the amount of rice because I couldn't just thaw "a bit".  No biggie.  I love wild rice - the more the better!  I subbed Italian venison sausage for the turkey.   This comes together pretty quick with not a lot of prep.  Most of the time is bringing the mixture to a boil and simmering.  Flavors were reminiscent of an Italian dish like lasagna or spagetti and meatballs.  I thought this was outstanding.  Recommended. 

I will note, this makes a lot.  Enough for 4 meals for two of us.  Recipe did note this does freeze well - it didn't stick around long enough for us to find out.  

• 1 1/2 cups water 
• 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 pound turkey Italian sausage (I used venision)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 cups water 
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups torn spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add wild rice; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Set aside.
2. Cook the sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned; stir to crumble. Drain sausage; set aside.
3. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the sausage, 3 cups water, and the next 5 ingredients (water through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in cooked wild rice, spinach, salt, and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with cheese.