Baked Farmer Sausage and Potatoes

2 lbs frozen farmer sausage (I used one ring)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3-4 pieces each

Gravy:
sausage drippings
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk (this works with soy milk as well)
salt and pepper

If desired, peel frozen farmer sausage. (The best way is to hold it under a trickle of warm water.) Break sausage into 4-6 chunks. Place potatoes and carrots into a roaster or large casserole dish. Add water to cover the bottom of the dish. Place frozen sausage chunks over top (so drippings will flavour the vegetables), cover, and bake at 375F for 1-1/4 hours. Remove from oven and drain juices from casserole dish into a saucepan. (You may want to put the sausage and vegetables in a serving dish now and keep warm in the oven.). For gravy: Mix flour and milk together, adding milk gradually so a paste forms and slowly gets thicker -- you don't want lumps! (Actually, a Tupperware gravy shaker works best for this. You can just throw it all together and shake it up without worrying about lumps at all.). Add milk mixture to drippings and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until gravy is thickened. (Depending on how much water content your sausage had, you may need to add a little more flour or milk to achieve the desired thickness.). Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Serves 4-5

I also have started making this in the crock pot! Layer the veggies on the bottom, add about 1 cup water and put sausage on top. Cook on low 8 hours.

Chicken and Tortellini Stew

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 cup frozen sliced carrots
1 cup frozen cut green beans or peas
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon Herb and Garlic dip mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup dried cheese-filled tortellini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Stir the cornstarch and water in a small cup until smooth. Set the mixture aside.
Heat oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.
Add the carrots, beans and onions. Stir in the broth. Heat to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the tortellini and parsley, if desired. Cook for 10 minutes or until the tortellini is tender.
Stir the cornstarch mixture and stir it into the saucepot. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens slightly.

Lentil Soup with Lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Carrot Sunflower Cookies

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. quick oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. finely shredded carrots
1/2 c. sunflower seeds, hulled
4 tbsp. milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

Mix flour, oats, cinnamon, and soda; set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients until blended. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Flatten to 1/4 inch thick. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream

In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and beef , until beef is brown.
Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.
Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil.

Carrot Casserole

4 cups chopped carrots
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 onion finely chopped
1 cup sour cream

Cook carrots till almost done. Melt butter, stir in other ingredients, heat through. Stir in carrots, put in buttered 2L casserole.

2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

Mix crumbs and cheese with melted butter. Sprinkle over carrots. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Pirate Stew

3/4 cup chopped onion
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup uncooked, long grain rice
3 cups diced raw potatoes
1 cup diced celery or carrots
2 cups canned kidney beans, drained
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 small jar canned tomatoes - optional (I used canned tomatoes as the above recipe seemed to dry and not enough sauce)

Brown onions and ground beef. Drain. Layer ingredients in slow cooker in order given. Cover. Cook on low 6 hours or until potatoes and rice are cooked.

Carrot Muffins

2 cups flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 - 1 tsp. cinnamon (depending on your preference)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk/sour milk
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped dates (optional)

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together wet ingredients in another bowl. Blend wet ingredients into flour mixture. Add carrots, nuts and dates. Mix until just mixed, never over mix muffins! Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Budget Beef Stroganoff

1 - 1 1/2 lb lean Beef Round Steak (or any leftover steak, roast beef etc.)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. margarine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/4 cups beef broth or water
1 cup chopped onion
1 small green pepper
1 can mushrooms (optional)
1 cup chopped carrots
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups hot, cooked rice

Sprinkle meat with seasonings and brown in margarine. Add onions and green pepper, and cook a bit longer. Stir in soup, 1 cup broth, and mushrooms. Cover; simmer 30 minutes or until meat is tender. Blend remaining broth and flour, stir into meat mixture. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sour cream; heat thoroughly, but do not boil. Serve over rice.

Toscana Soup

INGREDIENTS
12 links Italian pork sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chicken broth
4 cups water
2 potatoes, cubed
2 cups sliced kale
1/3 cup heavy cream (I use 1 % milk and it works just fine)
1 tsp. Epicure Roasted Red Pepper dip mix (optional)
2 large carrots

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Place sausage links on a baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Stir in broth, water, carrots, potatoes and dip mix; simmer 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add sausage, kale and cream; simmer until heated through and serve.

Golden Carrot Bake

3 cups carrots shredded
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Do not drain.

1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (I used a mozza/edam mix instead) shredded
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup onion
pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Stir in and transfer into a 1 1/2 quart/ 1.5 L casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese (or mixture as above) shredded

Sprinkle on top. Return to oven long enough to melt cheese, about 2 minutes.

I served this with farmer sausage and it was delicious!

Potato Cheese Soup

6 cup potatoes, peeled & diced
1 cup carrots, shredded (I often cut the carrots into pieces and blend all of the soup to make it smooth)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 chicken flavoured bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In a large pot; add potatoes, carrots, onion, parsley, bouillon cubes, salt and pepper. Add water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl; place flour and 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk. Whisk to mix and set aside.

When the potatoes are cooked - don`t drain them. Push them to one side of the pot. Working over low heat; whisk the flour and milk mixture into potato broth. Cook, stirring, until broth thickens. Add remaining milk and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted and smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Then, if you wish, mash potatoes with potato masher or blend it with a hand blender. When ready to serve; you can garnish with cooked, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, a bit more grated cheese or just as is.

Chicken and Chickpea Stew

2 celery stalks
2 carrots diced
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
4 cups less sodium chicken broth
3 cups marinara sauce ( I use my homemade tomato sauce)
1 - 19 oz. can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 -19 oz. can white kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups dry short tube pasta
1/2 tsp. pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into 1/2 inch cubes ( I've actually never made this with chicken as there is plenty of protein with the chickpeas and beans, but I'm sure it would taste good with chicken)
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan ( I use mozzarella cheese as I don't have parmesan in the house)

IN large sauce pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrot and saute until tender. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

ADD broth, marinara, chickpeas, kidney beans, pasta and pepper and bring to a boil.

REDUCE heat to low-medium and simmer until pasta is tender, about 10-12 minutes.

ADD chicken to pan and cook 3-5 minutes until chicken is done.

SPRINKLE with parmesan and serve.

Zucchini Skillet

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups zucchini, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tomatoes peeled and diced or 1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce (I use fresh or canned diced tomatoes)
1 - 8 oz. pkg. shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese

Brown meat in skillet, drain off excess fat. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Mix, simmer over low heat till bubbly (20-25 minutes). Sprinkle cheese just before serving. Serve over rice. Serves 4-6. I've also added chopped carrots to this as well. This is a great meal to make in summer when you have fresh produce from the garden!