Saturday, June 26, 2010

30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals: Day 20 - Carrie's Turkey Kielbasa with Sauerkraut


Welcome to 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals!

I can't believe we are 20 days into this wonderful series on super fast & delicious gluten free meals!

Thank you so much for joining me & all the other amazing gluten free food bloggers who have participated the last 20 days! Please stay tuned throughout the last ten days of this 30 Day challenge! Along with more incredibly yummy recipes & tips from fellow bloggers, there will also be a fun giveaway once the 30 days is over!

Day 20 - Carrie's Turkey Kielbasa & Homemade Sauerkraut.

During summers when I was growing up, my sister & I often had the chance to spend a few weeks with "Nan," our grandmother. One of the first recipes I featured on this blog was Nan's Skillet Dinner, another family favorite and definitely a 20 minute meal. Nan also taught my dad how to make his basic & easy pancakes, a super easy gluten free weeknight meal!

Nan knows all about simple & easy meals and today's recipe is a meal she often made for my sister & I.

This meal is SO easy, and literally takes less than 20 minutes to prepare. I love using sauerkraut because it's a very healthy way to incorporate cabbage into your diet. Sauerkraut can be an acquired taste, but after this meal, it's even on my husband's list of favorite dinners!

You can buy prepared sauerkraut at any grocery store. It's available in jars, canned, and even fresh in bags either in the produce section or the fresh meat section.

At home though, we make our own. Making homemade sauerkraut takes a little bit of time initially, but it's SO easy. It takes as little as 3 days to "cure" and then it's ready to eat and of course be used instantly for dinner! For instructions on how to make your own sauerkraut, visit Meghan's blog for a great tutorial video.



Another thing I love about this meal is that is contains so few ingredients. And really, like most of the recipes that have been shared the past 20 days, this is only a cooking technique. Use ingredients that you have on hand. Don't have a green pepper? Add a red pepper or tomatoes. Add shredded carrots for more color and yumminess! Don't have sauerkraut? Shred some fresh red or purple cabbage and use that instead.

Real cooking, especially EASY cooking is simply learning to creatively use the ingredients you have available!



Carrie's Turkey Kielbasa with Homemade Sauerkraut
Free of gluten, casein, and soy
Makes 4 servings

1 (14 oz.) package turkey kielbasa, sliced into 1/4" thick pieces
1 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 - 3 cups prepared sauerkraut
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice -or- jasmine rice (1/2 cup per serving)

Directions:
In a non-stick -or- seasoned cast iron skillet saute green peppers in olive oil for 2-3 minutes until they are bright green. Add cut kielbasa pieces and saute on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add sauerkraut and freshly ground pepper. Saute with kielbasa for an additional 10-12 minutes until heated through. Serve with cooked rice & fresh fruit or a salad.

* I put the rice on the stove (cooked according to package directions) right before I start sauteeing the green peppers. The rice will be fully cooked & super fluffy by the time the kielbasa & sauerkraut has been heated through.

For more information about me & this blog, please check out my "About Carrie" page!

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Stay tuned for Day 21 in 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals. Tomorrow will feature a beautiful recipe from Heather, author of TheCeliacFamily. Also check out Healther's post with a listing of all the Gluten Free Q&E recipes so far!!
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