Mama never made pork and beans like this! Use any combination of summer vegetables you like.

Above: A bounty from the Farmer’s Market.

Not Your Mama’s Pork & Beans

1 lb pasta, such as cavatappi
3/4 lb ground Italian sausage, casings removed
3/4 lb yellow wax or green beans, ends trimmed and halved
2 small bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh basil, optional

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving a small amount of pasta water (about 1 cup), toss with olive oil, set aside and keep warm.

Meanwhile, use a large skillet over high heat to brown sausage, crumbling with a wooden spoon. Add pepper strips and saute 3 minutes. Add beans and saute 3 minutes, adding olive oil if pan is too dry. Add tomatoes, seasoning with salt and pepper, and saute until softened, about 2-3 minutes.

Combine pasta and vegetable mixture in a large pot or bowl. If using, add basil. Add reserved pasta water as needed, enough to keep mixture moist. Season with additional salt or pepper if needed. Serve immediately.

As part of my return to the kitchen, I came across a recipe for chimichurri sauce and used to create this chicken dish with Argentinean flair.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 recipe Spicy & Smokey Rub
1 recipe Chimichurri Sauce
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with foil. Place a baking rack on top of the sheet and foil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Rub each piece with a small amount of olive oil. Using hands, massage dry rub into meat, coating lightly. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, prepare Chimichurri Sauce. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet. Add peppers and saute 3-5 minutes, until near tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add prepared chimichurri sauce and toss with peppers. Cook until sauce is warmed through, then remove from heat.

To serve: slice chicken and spoon peppers and sauce over top.

Looking for something to warm you up on a cold winter day? Try this pasta dish with an easy tomato sauce. I selected red bell peppers both for presentation and flavor. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are all similar in flavor and referred to as “sweet” bell peppers, which is a nice contrast for the spice in this recipe. Green bell peppers have a slightly stronger, more bitter taste. Of all the colors, red peppers have the highest amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Beta Carotene. Feel free to substitute which ever color or color combination  you prefer.

There are two options for adding heat to this recipe. The first is to use hot Italian sausages. The second is to use sweet Italian sausage or regular bulk sausage then add red pepper flakes to taste (from 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp, depending on your palate). The recipe below is shown using the hot Italian sausage. For the vinegar in this recipe, I used a flavored shallot vinegar, but nearly any variety will do: white wine, red wine, balsamic, or even apple cider in a pinch.

Spicy Sausage & Peppers Pasta

1 box (16 oz) short shaped pasta, such as penne
3/4 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced mini bella mushrooms
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can (15 oz) low-sodium tomato sauce

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water, and return to pot. Toss pasta with olive oil, set aside and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break apart with a wooden spoon. Add mushrooms and a small amount of olive oil. Saute for 5 minutes, then add diced onion. Season with salt and pepper, then saute 3 minutes. Add red bell pepper and garlic (if using sweet or mild sausage, add red pepper flakes at this point). Saute 3-5 minutes, until peppers are crisp-tender. Add vinegar, oregano, and tomato sauce. Bring mixture to a boil and remove from heat.

Add sausage mixture to pasta and toss. If mixture is too dry, add pasta water a little at a time until sauce is desired consistency. Serve immediately.

Here is another dish with Moroccan flair, a vegetarian option to the Chicken & Butternut Squash Tagine. Couscous is incredible popular in Moroccan food, served as a compliment to a meal just as rice is in Asian cuisine. The spices are similar, though you can adjust to suit your tastes. You can also use chicken broth instead of vegetable stock.

As you will see in the picture below, I served this meal with rice. Rather than add it to the pot with the vegetables, I cooked the rice separately and stirred in some of the cooking liquid. I would have preferred couscous, but I did not have enough on hand and rice was a good substitute.  The recipe below includes the instructions for using couscous.

Butternut-Chickpea Couscous
adapted from Cooking Light

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups vegetable stock
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 uncooked couscous
1/4 cup almond slivers (optional)

In a dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and 1/4 tsp of salt and saute for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add remaining 1 tsp of salt, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Saute for 1 minute, until very fragrant.

Stir in chicken stock, butternut squash, and tomatoes with liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and simmer, covered, for an additional 5 minutes or until butternut squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and stir in golden raisins and couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Stir well before serving, fluffing up the couscous. Top with almond slivers if desired.

For Thanksgiving, I did not want to undertake the daunting task of cooking a whole turkey. I have done so in the past, but for this year I made things a little easier on myself and went with a turkey breast. It was cheaper and most of my guests do not eat dark meat anyway, so it was a better choice all around. What is really great about turkey breast is that it thaws and cooks in less time, so there is no need for a 4 am wake-up call.

When cooked breast side down, there is still a cavity that can be “stuffed.” I would not recommend this for actual stuffing, because the cavity is rather small and not as enclosed as a whole turkey, so the stuffing will fall out if the bird is turned. This is, however, a great place to add flavor and keep the breast moist by using onions, lemons, and fresh herbs. Below is my recipe for a quick and easy rub and fixings for a turkey breast.

If you do not have poultry seasoning, use a mixture of rubbed sage, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and a pinch of nutmeg or cloves.

Lemon-Thyme Turkey Breast

1 turkey breast, about 6 lb
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 salt
Cracked black pepper
1 small onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1 large garlic clove, lightly smashed
4-5 fresh thyme sprigs

Preheat oven to 325F and lightly coat the rack of a roasting pan with cooking spray. Place rack in the roasted pan so that the “V” points down.

Rinse turkey well, including the cavity, and pat dry. Unlike a whole turkey, there are no giblets or neck to remove. Place turkey, breast side up, on the roasting pan.

Combine melted butter, poultry seasoning, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the mixture over the entire turkey breast, reserving a small amount for the underside (because the turkey is still cold, it will cause the butter to solidify slightly). Top the turkey breast with cracked black pepper.

Turn turkey over so the cavity is face up. Place half of the lemon and onion wedges in the turkey cavity, along with the garlic clove and springs of fresh time. Press down slightly and add remaining onion wedges if they will fit. Drizzle the remaining butter mixture over top and top with cracked black pepper. Squeeze 2 of the remaining lemon wedges over top, reserving the last 2 lemon wedges for later.

Cook turkey, breast side down, for 2 1/2 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 350F and turn turkey breast over (some of the lemons or onions may fall out, leave in the pan drippings for flavor if you are making gravy). Squeeze the two reserved lemon wedges over top of the turkey breast and return to oven for 30-45 minutes.

The turkey breast is cooked when a meat thermometer registers 185F when stuck into the breast, but the bird will continue to cook for 15-20 minutes after it has been removed from the oven. When the meat thermometer registers a temperature of 175-180F, this is a good time to remove the turkey breast. Place turkey breast on a large cutting board to “rest” and cover with foil. After 20 minutes, remove foil and begin slicing turkey to serve.

By the time the turkey is sliced and served on the table, it will still be warm but not hot. Solve this problem by serving piping hot gravy and no one will notice.