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Broccoli Rabe with Sausage, Pasta and Beans

5/19/2015

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Last week, we took one of our favorite recipes, Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage, and made it more delicious and nutritious. We cut down substantially on the amount of pasta, added beans, and found we had a recipe on our hands that we liked better than the original. 

It actually rained in California last week and we were having a cold spell.  This pasta was so warming and so satisfying and so fit the mood we were in because of the rare weather pattern, we were mildly competing over the leftovers.  Broccoli rabe is in season in spring so hopefully you can grab the last of the season at the farmers market and make this delicious dish!  It does take a bit of time to prepare, an hour or so, so you'll want to do it when you have the time.  As always, for best results, read the recipe all the way through first before attempting it.  Have all ingredients and cookware you will need out and ready to be used.

Broccoli Rabe with Sausage, Pasta and Beans
Makes 4 very hearty servings

12 - 16 ounces broccoli rabe, ends trimmed*
1 15 ounce can cannelli beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-8 ounce uncooked, regular or gluten free mild Italian chicken sausage, casing removed
1 6-8 ounce uncooked, regular or gluten free hot Italian chicken sausage, casing removed
5 ounces regular or gluten free pasta (Orecchiette or small shells work well)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (according to your hot and spicy preference)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

*Broccoli rabe is often sold in bunches of various weights at both farmers markets and grocery stores which is why we give you a range in this recipe.  The recipe works equally well with 12 ounces of rabe as it does with 16 ounces of rabe. 

Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water, add 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a rolling boil.  Add 1/3 to 1/2 of the broccoli rabe.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the stems are just tender.  Using tongs or a wire-mesh skimmer, remove the broccoli rabe to a colander, rinse with cold  water.  Drain.  Squeeze to remove excess water.   Repeat until all broccoli rabe has been blanched.  Set aside.

Keep the pot full of water at a low boil to cook the pasta. 

Heat a fry pan over medium-low heat, erring on the side of low.  Add the olive oil and the garlic.  Stir constantly to flavor the oil while avoiding burning the garlic.  Cook one minute.  Add the red pepper flakes.  Stir to incorporate.  Add the sausages and break it up with a couple of wooden spoons (my husband, Brian, calls this the "choppy, choppy" method) until fully cooked.

Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's directions. 

While the pasta is cooking, roughly chop the broccoli rabe and add it and the beans to the sausage.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat so the garlic doesn't burn and the broccoli rabe does not overcook.  Stir occasionally.

When the pasta is finished cooking, reserve one cup of pasta cooking water in a heat-proof measuring cup.  Then drain the pasta.  Place the empty pot that was used to cook the pasta back on the stove over no heat.  Add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and swirl it around the pot.  Add the pasta and stir to coat with the olive oil.  Add the broccoli rabe mixture and stir.  Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and stir to evenly distribute.  If it is looking dry, add the reserved pasta cooking water a little bit at a time.  This creates a creaminess with the cheese and the beans.  It is unlikely you will need all of the reserved pasta water.  If the pasta mixture is no longer hot, gently reheat for a couple of minutes over medium heat.  Serve while warm, passing extra Parmesan at the table if you would like.



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3 Tips for Feeling Great About Saying No

5/18/2015

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PictureGraphic by Ryan West
Good morning everyone!  It seems like the topic of learning to say "No!" resonated deeply with many of you.  Today we have a guest post from Ryan West about why you can feel good about saying "No!"
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“No.”

It’s probably one of the first words you said as a kid.

And yet, for adult women, it’s often one of the hardest for us to say.

Why?

Because we don’t want to disappoint someone or let them down.

We want to be liked.

And we definitely definitely definitely DON’T want to be considered selfish.

Yet, saying “No” is one of the most powerful words you can say.

Because if you’re stressed and busy, it’s the one word, more than any other, that will keep you sane.

“No,” keeps your schedule from getting too packed. And it helps your life feel more fun and balanced too.

That is, if you can only feel good about saying it.

So here are 3 Tips to Help You Feel Great About Saying No.

1) Saying “No” actually starts with saying “Yes!”


When you say “No” to something, you’re actually saying “Yes” to something else.

Whether that “Yes” is time with your family, or rest on the couch at home by yourself, when you’re clear about what your “Yes” is, that thing you’re fully committed to investing your time in, it becomes much easier to say, “No.”

That’s because the statement isn’t arbitrary or mean anymore, it’s because you have another commitment. Another higher priority that you are choosing to honor.

Tip: Stay focused on your YES, instead of on your No.

2) Saying “No” is Self-less, not Selfish


My personal experience is that when I say, “Yes” when I really want to say, “No,” I commonly get stressed out, overwhelmed, tired, sometimes even resentful. I tend to get moody and not so nice to be around.

This makes it hard for me to show up as the best version of me.

But either way, whether I’m a cranky b*tch or an amazing angel, I affect all the people around me. Then those people affect all the people around them.

So, I’m actually doing the world a big favor by saying, “No” when I really want to say, “No.”

I can spread way more peace and positivity in the world when I honor my “No,” whatever the reason.

If your intention is to make the greatest positive impact in the world, you can’t do that if you’re tired, cranky, frustrated, or overwhelmed.

So saying, “No” truly isn’t selfish.

Saying, “No” is a self-less act that keeps you in the happy zone. Happy you = greater positive impact in the world.

Tip: Stay focused on how saying, “No” increases your positive impact in the world.

3) Saying, “No,” Helps You Know Your True Friends


Let’s face it. Do you really want relationships where you can’t show up and say, “Sorry, I just can’t DO anymore right now?”

Where you can’t feel good about honoring your highest priorities or taking time to rest?

Those who love you will respect you all the more when you have boundaries. Those who don’t were just taking advantage.

Do you really want to keep investing in relationships that don’t help you stay balanced?

Your true friends are going to like you no matter what you say or do.

Remember you are not pizza, you can’t make everyone like you.

So why try?

Tip: Focus on investing in relationships with those who ARE comfortable with you setting boundaries and saying “No.”


Need help learning specifically what to say in order to Say “No” Like a Pro? Then join me for my free webinar this Thursday where you’ll learn strategies for what to say to support your relationships AND take care of you.


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Founder of Becoming Joy, Ryan West is a Stress & Anxiety Relief Facilitator who helps busy women take back control of their lives so that they feel calm and confident. She blends her training in eight different holistic modalities with guilt-free strategies to reclaim your calendar, balance your emotions, and care for others while caring for yourself too. Register
for her latest free webinar: SayNoLikeAPro.com.

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Web Wellness Wednesday - The Say NO Edition

5/13/2015

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Happy Wednesday everyone!  Want to start feeling better right now?  Say No!  Stop committing to things you don't want to do!  Stop giving your time away to energy vampires, whether those vampires are friends or marketers.  Here are lots of great resources to teach you how to say "No!" including a webinar next week and a couple of articles.  Enjoy!

Feeling good about saying “No” is an issue many women struggle with.  A lot of women suffer from People Pleasing Syndrome, myself included, and fear saying no will jeopardize relationships and we won't be as well-liked.  The thing is saying No to something is actually a gateway to saying Yes to something else.

That’s why I want to invite you to a *free* webinar training that my friend and colleague, Stress & Anxiety Relief Facilitator, Ryan West is offering.  The problem is that when you don’t say “No” even when you want to, it’s hard to stay balanced because your schedule generally gets too full and you just continue to get more depleted from there.

And as you know, if you’re not feeling at least mostly balanced, you can’t be your best self and make the biggest positive impact I know you want to make in the world.  So join me for this training on May 21 where Ryan will be sharing her simple process for how to Say “No” Like a Pro. Saying “No” is one of the best ways to take care of yourself and create a greater impact in the world by actually doing less. And she’ll show you how to do it guilt-free.  To register, simply click here. 

Saying Yes too often directly correlates to burn-out.  The Huffington Post has a helpful piece on how to avoid burnout and restore some fun in your life. 

Want a simple way to start saying no?  How about starting with telemarketers and annoying credit card offers?  Check out this Vox article which gives you the dirt on how to opt-out!

Get out there and start saying "No!" so you can reduce your stress and feel better.  In other words, say yes to you!
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Graphic by Ryan West
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A Foray into Indian Cooking

5/5/2015

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PictureSeema helping me select spices at Namaste Market in Thousand Oaks, CA.
I was slow to warm to Indian food.  It was not the mad passionate love affair I have with Italian or Mexican.  In fact, the first couple of times I tried it I didn't like it, and that's saying something because I eat most everything!  Our taste buds change over time and mine started to slowly warm to Indian food a few years ago, and now I cannot eat it often enough!

Eating it, though, always meant going out to an Indian restaurant.  I was too intimidated to try it at home.  Just reading all the ingredients in recipes exhausted me.  Plus, I like cooking delicious, healthy meals that are straightforward to prepare.  Every recipe seemed to call for 80 spices, some toasted and then ground, others prepared in other special ways that to me shouted, "You will be in the kitchen for five hours and the dog will think you abandoned her."  I understand the depth of flavor that can come from toasting and grinding spices, but I also understand that people, myself included, have a limited amount of time to prepare dinner most nights.

Despite reservations, something about cooking Indian food at home kept calling to me.  I thought it has to be easier.  And then a lot of synchronicity happened.  I met my new friend Seema at a women's business event and she offered to take me to an Indian grocery and help me shop for spices and ingredients I had never encountered.  While researching recipes at the library for an upcoming workshop, I happened upon two Indian cookbooks by Madhur Jaffrey.  In both Simple Indian Cookery and Quick & Easy Indian Cooking, the recipes are short, simple, and a good introduction to cooking a sampling of Indian food.  Coupled with both finding someone to help me and the books to guide me, is the growing data that many of the popular spices used have terrific medicinal effects.  For example, India has one of the lowest rates of Alzheimer's disease in the world, a statistic attributed to the large amount of turmeric, an anti-inflammatory, in the Indian diet.  Turmeric is also effective in quelling arthritis. 

So yes, I do know it's Cinco de Mayo and I am posting an Indian dish, Murghi Ka Keema (Turkey with Peas), but that's how we roll around these parts.  This recipe comes courtesy of Madhur Jaffrey.  I've adapted it to our tastes (more spice!) and the way we cook.  The original version can be found on p. 50 of Quick & Easy Indian Cooking.

Murghi Ka Keema (Ground Turkey with Peas)
Serves 3-4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste)
5 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1 small Spanish onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
6 ounces fresh peas or frozen peas, defrosted
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala (a spice blend found in most grocery stores and Indian markets)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more if you like it spicy)
3/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup chicken broth
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add the olive oil.  When it shimmers, turn down the heat to medium low and add the cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves.  Stir until fragrant about 10-15 seconds and then add the onion.  Cook the onion until transparent and just starting to caramelize.  Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute.  Turn the heat up to medium and add the ground turkey.  Working quickly, break up the turkey using two wooden spoons, stirring often so the garlic and ginger do not burn.  Once the ground turkey has been broken down, turn down the heat to medium low.  Add all the remaining ingredients, and cook for 3-5 minutes longer stirring often. 

We like this served with brown basmati rice.


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    Author

    Hi friends!  I am Molly.  Welcome to my blog where I share my creations and adventures to help you create a life you love.  I am passionate about food, travel, and health! Thanks for stopping by and looking around.  All photos are taken by me unless otherwise attributed.  I develop and write all my recipes with attribution for inspiration and ideas where applicable.  All of my recipes are gluten free.  

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Photos used under Creative Commons from Brett Jordan, roseannadana