Slow cooked Island Kielbasa with Coconut Rice

I had come across a few different recipes for kielbasa one of which caught my eye but the ingredients seems a bit off and too sweet for a savory dish calling for 2 lbs kielbasa, 2 cups ketchup, 2 cups brown sugar and 1 15 oz can of pineapple chunks in syrup undrained. I like sweets but that seemed overkill but the idea was there and after reading the reviews and and how my suspicions were correct I decided to try a few things. The fact that the title is Island Kielbasa and it had pineapple screamed it needs a balance such as soy sauce but a number of people said it was so saucy they had to add cornstarch and I didn't want to go that route so I thought of a teriyaki marinade. That with the pineapple and a little brown sugar had an island feel so here is what I came up with. I served it on top of plain jasmine rice however I think next time I will serve it on coconut rice(recipe to follow). Note chicken can be used in place of the sausage to make it a more healthy dish.

Slow cooked Island Kielbasa 


3 lb Kielbasa cut in bite sized pieces
12 oz jar of ginger teriyaki marinade sauce
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar
20 oz can of unsweetened pineapple chunks in pineapple juice undrained
1 cup ketchup

Brown up kielbasa on the stove until brown. Set aside. Combine the rest of the ingredients into a crock pot. Stir in kielbasa. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Serve with Jasmine rice or coconut rice*recipe below.


Coconut Rice

2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice

2 cups good-quality coconut milk

1 3/4 cups water

2 heaping Tbsp. dry shredded unsweetened coconut 

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. coconut oil, OR vegetable oil

Rub oil over the bottom of a deep-sided pot. You will also need a tight-fitting lid.

Place rice, coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, and salt in the pot and set over medium-high to high heat. Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.

Once the coconut-water has begun to gently bubble, stop stirring and reduce heat to low (just above minimum). Cover tightly with a lid and let simmer 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. To check, pull rice aside with a fork. If most of the coconut milk-water is gone, go on to the next step.

Replace the lid and turn off the heat, but leave the covered pot on the burner to steam another 5-10 minutes, or until you're ready to eat. Tip: Your Coconut Rice will stay warm this way for up to 1 hour or more, great for when you're expecting company!

When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork or chopsticks. Taste-test the rice for salt, adding a little more if needed.

Enjoy!!
XOXO

Yumm Yumm Chicken and veggie meatloaf

One of our favorite dishes to make since my husband and I started eating healthy is a recipe that I came across from The Deen Brothers titled Deen Bros Lighter Chicken Creole Burgers with Bayou Mayo http://thedeenbros.com/recipes/recipe_detail/347/

My husband asked me a few days ago if there was a way to make this into a healthy meatloaf so I did some research and came across a few meatloaves that were made with ground chicken. Our biggest worry was trying to make this just as moist as the burgers because there is nothing worse than a dry meatloaf. I experimented and it came out so flavorful and moist I had to share! The leftovers are great for a meatloaf sandwich (hubby had one today and it was still moist). This can be topped with a sauce if you want we just wanted to try it without to begin with before we experimented with a sauce. I will update when I try different toppings. Off the top of the head it would be great with a spicy marinara or some Frenches onions. 

Enjoy! 

Yumm Yumm Chicken and Veggie Meatloaf

2 tbs coconut or olive oil

1 large red bell pepper chopped  

1 large onion chopped

8 oz pkg baby bella mushrooms coarsely chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 lb ground chicken

5 slices of whole wheat bread torn

1/2 cup 1% milk

1/4 cup yumm yumm chicken spice *recipe below

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 large egg

2 tbs ketchup

2 tbs bbq sauce

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350

In a skillet heat oil on med/high heat till hot. Add red pepper and onion and saute till almost tender. Add mushrooms and garlic and saute till heated. Remove from heat and scoop into a bowl to cool slightly.  In a large mixing bowl take bread and top with milk. Set aside for just a minute long enough for the milk to absorb into the bread. Once absorbed add veggies, chicken, yumm yumm chicken spice, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, bbq sauce and mustard. Mix thoroughly. Place in a casserole dish or 2 loaf pans (I used an oblong casserole dish that is 11x9x2) bake in oven at 350 for about 1 hour or until your thermometer in center reaches 160 degrees. Make sure you let it sit 10-15 minutes before slicing. If you add a topping like the french fried onions do it at the last 10 minutes of baking to allow them to be crisp. 

Yumm Yumm Chicken spice  link address*http://yummiesonabudget.blogspot.com/2012/10/yumm-yumm-chicken-spice.html

4 Tbs. sea salt

8 tsp. paprika

8 tsp. onion powder

3 Tbs. granulated garlic or garlic powder

4 tsp. dried thyme

2 Tbs. creole seasoning

1 Tbs. black pepper

Enjoy!!!
XOXO