Sausage & Spring Vegetables Over Grilled Polenta

It's finally warming up outside - and while I fear I may have missed the seasons for camping and skiing (both things I was dying to do...but couldn't without friends on board) the bright side is that now spring herbs and vegetable are hitting the garden and the grocery store. We are on the cusp of winter & spring, so you may not be able to find ALL the vegetables you love fresh. But frozen will work just as well, and it's often cheaper/easier. I debated whether to go to the store & purchase fresh, or to use the bag of veggies that has been sitting in my freezer for several months. Guess what happened. :) I'm not lazy, I'm...efficient! Truthfully, fresh would probably be great in this because you could skewer the veggies and cook them like kabobs instead of skillet-style. But iz up to you. I used frozen and I can tell you now (excuse me...chew chew...mmm) this tastes GREAT!

Okay, you'll need:

1 bag thawed or approx 1lb fresh summer/spring mixed vegetables (bagged here: carrots, bell peppers, green beans, squash, onion)

olive oil

pre-made polenta

cooked sausage, your choice - I used Opa's jalapeno b/c I like my sausage spicy

salt

Heat up the grill (or in my case, stovetop grill pan) to medium high. Cut the sausage into 1/4 inch slices. Taste test it to make sure it's as good as you imagined. IT IS! :) Mix the sausage into the vegetables & set aside.

Cut the polenta into 1/4 inch slices. drizzle the grill lightly with olive oil (or vegetable oil, whatever). It's prob better to spray or brush the grill with the oil, but I didn't, & the polenta soaked up more OO than I wanted it to. Just a note.

So toss the polenta slices on the grill and let 'em sizzle for a bit. It should take a few minutes for them to pick up some of the yummy brown grill color on the bottom - when they do, flip them over.

This is when we add the veggies/sausage to the mix. If you're doing this like I am, or maybe in a pan even, just dump them on. If you're using a traditional grill, try making a flat surface out of foil or put a cast iron pan on the grill.

Either way...keep 'em moving. We want all the stuff to get nice & warm, the sausage to brown a little, the veggies to lose some of their moisture.

Salt them a little while they're on there. Mmm.

Around the time the veggie mix is ready, the polenta should be done. Arrange the polenta on a plate...

and load it up with the sausage/veggie mix, piping hot and ready to eat! So hearty & satisfying, and pretty darn good for you - only about 400 calories in this serving, and it's so filling that you really don't need a big lumberjack portion to feel full. So eat and be merry!

And if you want to go camping or skiing before it's really too TOO late...let me know...wouldn't this recipe be great to eat while sittin' around the campfire??

Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Thyme Sauce

So, let me explain a lil sump'n about mushrooms and me. When I was little, my parents wouldn't let us be picky eaters. We were each allowed to pick ONE item that we didn't have to eat, but everything else that was put in front of us, it was going in with a smile. This made us charming dinner guests, thanks mom and dad. Also, you guys conned us into thinking salad was dessert. So sneaky. Anyway, when it came to that "one food item," I chose MUSHROOMS. And since then, I have stuck with the choice, trying and failing time and again to love the fun little guys. Get it? Fun guys? Funghi?

Which leads to my next point: nerds/dorks. If you're single (ladies), or you were one day long ago, ya know how sometimes there's a high-waters-wearing, wrinkled-shirt, bad-hair & toothy-grinned guy who for SOME REASON just catches your attention? Like, you're just minding your business and then you're like "ooooh, who's THAT?" and you realize you're looking at a doofus and you don't know why but you want to find out who he is and see if maybe that's what you're looking for after all!

*crickets*

Alright well anyway, what I'm saying is: today I suddenly thought that mushroom sauce might be the perfect partner for delicious gnocchi, despite my longtime disdain for edible fungus. So here's what I tried and here's what happened...

GNOCCHI WITH WILD MUSHROOM THYME SAUCE

You need one package of pre-cooked gnocchi (I suggest Gia Rosso Whole Wheat Gnocchi pasta - made with sweet potatoes)

For the mushroom sauce:

• ½ lb. cremini mushrooms
• ½ lb. shitake mushrooms, stems removed
• ¼ cup shallots, minced
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1½ cups light cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• Parmesan cheese for topping

Makes six servings.

Take the stems off the shitake mushrooms.

And cut those shallots up real nice and fine. Like onions, shallots will make you cry sweet tears of spiciness, so I suggest you wear eyegear if you don't have contacts.

Rub the tops of the cremini mushrooms with a damp towel to clean them, then cut them into ¼-inch slices.

In a large skillet over low heat, melt the butter. Isn't butter so beautiful when it's melting? If you lurve butter you can totally use this as your screensaver. THAT'LL get your co-workers talkin'!

Add the shallots and allow them to cook until translucent.

Raise the heat to medium, add in the mushrooms and the sprigs of thyme. Let cook for 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms begin to brown.

Remove the sprigs of thyme...

then add in the chicken stock. Let reduce for 3 minutes.

This is when you want to cook the GNOCCHI! Add the Gnocchi to the boiling water - it only takes about 4 minutes to fully cook...you'll want to use PROTECTIVE WEAR WHILE YOU PUT IT IN THE POT! Most people won't tell you this, but adding gnocchi to a pot causes splassage and that can burn your pretty little hands. So I wear a hot pad glove and I cringe while I add the gnocchi to the pot. I suggest you do the same.

Also, add salt. Always add salt, it's awesome. Pasta loves salt, salt is its favorite.

So you'll notice that when you add the gnocchi to the water, it all sinks to the bottom. Yay! Because when it cooks, you can tell it's ready when it POPS to the top like a little fishing bobber!

Add in the cream, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes until thickened.

You're so ready for dinner, I understand! Just wait for it! Tick...tick...tick...tick..



Finally it is DONE! All the gnocchi has popped to the top of the water, so spoon some of it out (sans water) into a bowl. Serve the sauce over the prepared gnocchi and top with parmesan cheese (which I totally forgot to do, oops, but it was still presentable...)



And I'm gonna be honest with you - I ate the whole bowl. I don't like mushrooms, and the whole time it was like being with with that doofy guy you met and decided to take a chance on. The whole time you're thinking "meh...not really my thing" but at the same time there's something about him that is drawing you in! I ate the whole bowl. I'll admit it. And I might eat the leftovers. :) Maybe! Ok definitely....