Roasted Asparagus

I just had to share my favorite way to cook asparagus. We have eaten this five times in the last couple weeks. I would happily eat it every night. I wish I had some asparagus in the fridge right now.

Roasted Asparagus Spears

from The Sisters Cafe

1 bunch thin asparagus - ends trimmed

1 T olive oil

1/2 t coarse salt

1/4 t pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Drizzle olive oil on the pan and place the asparagus on top. Shake pan gently to cover the asparagus with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until the spears are just tender, approximately 8 - 10 minutes.

Yummy Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

I had to share this yummy meal we had the other night. It was simple and delicious. I wondered about some of the spices, like the allspice and the cloves, but they blended in and it was so good. The kicker was that my two pickiest eaters, Josh and Camilla, couldn't get enough. "Mmmmmm, this is so good!" they kept saying and then asking for more. Emma and I ate it for lunch the last two days as well. I didn't use the Andouille sausage (I have to admit that I don't even know what kind of sausage that is) I just used regular old country sausage from our pig. I got the recipe from goodlifeeats.com I hope you like it too.

Red Beans and Rice with Andouille Sausage

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

12 ounces Andouille Sausage, sliced (I used Aidells brand)
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
half of a yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup chicken broth
20 ounces diced tomatoes in juices
1/2 teaspoon salt, or according to taste preferences
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
dash (or more) cayenne
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
2 - 14 ounce cans kidney or red beans (I like Bush's and only drained 1 can)
2 cups rice, cooked according to package instructions
hot sauce for serving, if desired

Directions:

Heat a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage slices until browned. Remove and set aside.

Add the olive oil to the pot and saute the onion over medium heat until translucent and tender, about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the celery and garlic and continue to saute for 2 minutes more.

Return the sausage to the pan. Stir in the bell pepper, broth, tomatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves, oregano, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables reach desired tenderness.

Stir in the beans and cook until heated through. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary. Serve over rice.

image via goodlifeeats.com