What's for Dinner?

I love cooking with fresh fruits and vegetables from the Farmer's Market. I feel especially cool when I pick up something new or unusual and manage to use it in a tasty dish. It has been a while since I've used kale in my cooking (if ever), and when I saw a bunch of its bright green curly leaves at the market last weekend, I couldn't resist picking up a big bunch. It served me well! Along with a perfect little spaghetti squash, I prepared what I'd call a perfect fall recipe....


Spaghetti Squash with Sausage & Kale
(I found the original recipe here, but adapted it to my ingredients)

Serves 2. Prep time + cooking time ~ 40 min.

Ingredients:

• 1 smallish spaghetti squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 2 links Italian sausage (the kind we had in the freezer had cheese in it, too!)
• 1 bunch fresh kale, stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Place the squash halves, cut side down, in a large, microwavable dish. Add 1/3 cup water and microwave until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Scoop out the seeds. Using a fork, comb the squash into strands into a bowl. Toss with the parmesan and season with black pepper.
   
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until no longer pink, about 6 minutes (I cooked ours on a George Foreman grill). Remove the sausage and toss in the garlic, cooking until tender but not browned. Add kale and chicken stock and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, checking occasionally so it doesn't burn! Remove cover and cook until liquid is evaporated. Season with salt and black pepper (if necessary, the stock kept ours pretty salty). Serve sausage and kale on top of the squash.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   YUM!