Zuppa Toscano

Thanks to Joelen for the inspiration for this. I altered the recipe slightly (even thought I halved most of the amounts for less soup, i kept the original amounts of the mushrooms and spinach and I didnt cook the sausage as ground sausage...I left it in the casings and cut it up itno bite-size pices once it was cooked). I think this might become a new staple around here! My husband won't like it since he doesn't like sausage, but I think its fab. I was sort of hoping for a crsip, fall day today so I could curl up with a yummy bowl of warm soup, but its in the 70s (so bizarre for October in New England!). Don't worry...I'll enjoy it anyway!

48 ounces fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
8 ounces sweet Italian chicken sausage (2 or 3 links depending on the size of each link)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teapsoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup half and half

Boil potatoes in chicken broth in a 4 quart pot for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place sausage links in a non-stick frying pan and heat over medium-high heat until browned on the outside. Transfer links to a plate and carefully slice each one down the center, lengthwise (be careful, since the inside won't be cooked through and still a little messy since it hasn't solidified yet), and transfer back to the pan, placing the inside face down to cook. Cook until brown. Transfer links back to plate (wash it first since the chicken was partially raw the alst time we used it!) and slice link halves into bite size pieces. Add sausage pieces to broth and potatoes. Add seasonings and mushrooms to soup and stir. Bring back to a boil and simmer until potatoes are fork tender and mushrooms are soft.

Stir in the spinach leaves; cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in half and half; cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Yields about 4-6 servings.

WW info:
3 points per serving if yielding 6 servings.
4 points per serving if yielding 4 servings.

Sausage & Basil Quesadillas

Yum... leftovers! Had some left over sausage and sauce from the other night, so I decided to make some quesadillas. I used my Foreman grill, but you also use a quesadilla maker, panini press, or stovetop grill.

2 (4 oz.) chicken sausage links
3 basil leaves, chopped
2 whole wheat pitas
1 cup fat-free mozzarella cheese
non-stick cooking spray
1 cup roasted pepper marinara for dipping

Spray a small skillet with cooking spray. Run a knife along the long side of each sausage link and remove meat inside. Heat over medium heat until browned through. Add basil and toss. (Don't add basil until meat is cooked or else it will get limp and lose its flavor). Heat grill. Slice each pita in half forming a total of 4 pockets. Add 1/4 cup of shredded cheese to each and 1/4 of the sausage and basil mixture. Lightly spray each side the pita with non-stick cooking spray and place on grill. Cook until pita is browned and cheese is fully melted. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

WW info:
core-5 points (4 per sausage link; 1 per pita)
flex-7.5 points

Grilled Sausage & Veggies

Given that sausage and peppers go so well together, I decided to grill up some sweet italian chicken sausage, zucchini (leftover from the bread I made earlier), and portobello mushroom caps and mix in with the roasted pepper marinara sauce. Served over penne. Yum!

WW info:
core: if served over whole wheat pasta, only count 4 points for a 4 ounce link of sausage.
flex: 9 points (4 for sausage, 4 for 2 oz. uncooked penne, and 1 for sauce)