15-Minute Tasty Spanish Meal for Carnivors and Vegetarians alike!

MOOD CATEGORY:

HAPPY HUBBY MOOD

MEAL:

15-MINUTE SUCCULENT SPANISH CHORZIO SAUSAGE, CRISP ASPARAGUS AND ALMONDS SAUTE served with FRESHLY CUT BAGUETTE.

FOOD FOR MOOD BENEFITS:

This meal has plenty of cayenne pepper and paprika, two spices know for improving circulation and treating pain. Both also can help to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Some swear that it improves overall health, reducing arthritic pain, boosting immunity, and curing colds. Talk about a FOOD FOR MOOD food!

Also, almonds (like walnuts) are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, a type of fat that's needed for brain cells and mood-lifting neurotransmitters to help life depression!

(thanks to my amazing sister for 'food for mood' scientific data!)
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LET'S COOK!!

At least once a week, my hubby and I argue over the time it takes me to cook dinner. He wants it to be ready RIGHT NOW and I want to enjoy the process of cooking and subsequent blogging. I think a lot of it has to do with our incredible work load outside of our home life and how we get up every day @ 5:45AM for our daily morning workouts. The gym. God.

He was in Florida recently visiting his BFF. His BFF, a wonderful and truly sweet man also named Andrew, hates cooking. His idea of dinner is pre-cooked chicken tossed over a bag of lettuce with some microwaved vegetables. I always give him a bad time, as he does about my obsessive need to cook nearly every day.

Now, I DO get how wonderfully convenient his method of 'cooking' is. I do. No cooking, no clean-up, no fuss, no muss and...not taste. That really is the only reason I can't eat like that. We have to eat every_single_day, so why make the meal watery and bland? Food is not about feeding our body. It's feeding our SOUL. Eating is, in itself, an act of loving ourselves. We eat because we enjoy eating. We eat in moderation to take care of ourselves. We eat good tasting food because every moment is worthwhile, so why eat bland lettuce and rubbery chicken?

We need taste, we need sensation.

And we really, REALLY don't need microwaved vegetables. Oh_my_God. Are you fucking kidding me?

But I get how we are all in a hurry. I know I am. And when it's hot and sticky, turn the oven on and I'll throw you inside of it. Skillet meals are the way to go!

This meal is easy, tasty, spicy and simple, simple, simple. It really is only 15 minutes. You use spicy, pre-cooked sausage, add some fresh veggies, use a surprising twist with the almonds (or walnuts or cashews, whatever you have around), toss in some bread, cayenne pepper, pepper, NO SALT, serve up and DINNER IS SERVED. This is GREAT for left-overs as well.

Serving size: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• One package Chorzio sausage, (4 links for 2 meals for two people - one link per person)*
• One large yellow Holland pepper
• One large red Holland pepper
• 2 large pounds asparagus, make sure the 'heads' are tight and full - look for any dark spots, trimmed of stalks**
• 1 large yellow onion, diced small
• 1 cup dry roasted almonds, walnuts or cashews are great as well
• 1/2 tablespoon very hot red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large, fresh, French white bread baguette, cut into 1/2 inch cubes for the saute and slices to serve with the meal

* Chorzio sausage is a cured meat. It is made by chopping or grinding the pork and “marinating” it in spices. Spanish paprika (sweet or spicy) is the spice which is gives Chorizo its characteristic flavor and distinguishes it from other sausages. In America, many people are familiar with the Mexican or Caribbean Chorizo, both of which are very different from the Spanish sausage in both taste and appearance, so look for SPANISH Chorzio with spicy paprika as the main marinade. It will say so on the package. You can easily make this vegeterian by substituting Tofu spicy dogs.

**Asparagus is finicky in the fridge. When you get it home, cut 1/4 an inch from the bottom and submerge the base in a big cup of water, cover it up with a tiny plastic bag and put in fridge until ready to use. It will dry out if you don't do this.

There are also many varied opinions on the cooking of asparagus stalks. I hate to say it, but I cut them off. I know...lazy and dull. But peeling each one is an option and I have done it, but prefer to trim the bottom 1/2 inch off, personally, or it's too tough.

LET'S COOK!

Prep by getting all of your ingredients ready beforehand. This cooks very fast and you pretty much throw it all into the pan, so prep is essential.

Throw all of this into a big ass bowl:

• Cut up your sausage into small, 1/2 inch discs. You can leave the pork casing on; it's fine to cook with.
• Dice up your peppers into long, thin strips.
• Dice up your asparagus into 2 inch strips.
• Dice up the onion. Add the almonds, red pepper flakes and half of the baguette cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or torn, ala Jamie Oliver style if you wish).
• Heat up the oil in a NON-STICK and NON-REACTIVE pan if you have it. Reason being it will make the food brown nicely.
• When the oil just starts to smoke add all of the ingredients, cover with a tight fitting lid, and leave it alone, stirring every 2-3 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.
• After 12 -13 minutes, take off heat and serve with torn baguette pieces.

Salt and pepper - TASTY!!!

A toast to a great time of year - late August summer days.

xo

Mikey Bryan

Your Food Therapist