August was a busy month. I was out of town almost every week, forcing me to eat out more than I preferred. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed many great meals in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. At the same time, eating out can get heavy and leave me wanting in the vegetables department. With all the great summer produce, when I did eat at home, I focused on simple meals with lots of veggies.
The concoction below is something I threw together on a random weeknight this month. I sliced all of the veggies to keep the veggies similar in size to the green beans and to maintain some of the crunch. For some extra protein, I threw in some Amy Lu’s Andouille Chicken Sausage, but the recipe would be great vegetarian meal without the sausage. This is a new recipe that I developed with the veggies in our fridge after a weekend trip. If you give it a try, I’d love to know what tweaks and suggestions you have!
GREEN BEANS, PEPPERS, AND SAUSAGE WITH QUINOA
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red pepper, sliced
5-6 sweet peppers, sliced
~1 pound French cut green beans
2 pre-cooked Andouille sausages, sliced into rounds
3 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
~1 cup vegetable broth
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
½ grated parmesan cheese
juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup fresh parsley and/or basil roughly chopped
1 cup quinoa
salt
pepper
DIRECTIONS
Make the quinoa according the instructions on the package, then set aside.
In a large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and sautee until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and peppers, and cook the vegetables for another 2 minutes.
Add the green beans and pre-cooked Adouille sausage, if using, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Push the veggies to the side to clear an area so you can add the tomato paste directly to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste, allowing the paste to toast by sitting at the bottom of the pan for about 15 to 20 seconds, mixing lightly with a wooden spoon. Deglaze with the white wine, and mix the paste with all of the veggies, then add the oregano, red peppers (if using), and the broth.
Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium low, allowing the liquid to simmer and thicken slightly, about 5-7 minutes. When all of the vegetables are tender, but not over cooked, turn off the heat and stir in the greek yogurt. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the veggies on top of the quinoa, squeezing lemon juice over the top and sprinkling with cheese and fresh herbs on top.
