Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I know that there are a gazillion ways to fix gumbo.  Well, I've never had it until today, and I wanted to put in it what my family would eat, so there isn't any seafood (although I would have liked to have included shrimp, at least).  There also isn't any okra, from where the dish gets it's African name.  So, can I still call it gumbo?  Well, I'm going to, and I'm going to enjoy it!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of olive oil

2/3 cup of all purpose flour

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

ground black pepper

4 cloves minced  garlic

4 cups hot water

4 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

12 oz smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices, then halved

Hot, cooked rice

1. In a deep, heavy pan stir together oil and flour until it's smooth.  Cook over medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring continuously for 15 minutes until a dark, reddish brown roux is formed.

2. Stir in vegetables, garlic, and pepper.  Cook for 3-5 minutes until the veggies are tender.  Slowly add the hot water.  Stir in chicken.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add in the sausage and cook for 20 more minutes.*

4.  Serve over hot rice, which you should cook the last 20 minutes of the gumbo, so it will be ready at the same time.

*If you add oysters or shrimp, add them in after the sausage and let them go for 10 more minutes.

Roasted Rosemary Chicken and Eggplant

I try and cook healthy dishes as much as possible, and I'm always looking for tasty recipes because, let's face it, not all healthy dishes are tasty.  This one, however, is delicious.  I had never had eggplant before, so this was really new for me.  I loved it!  This was a really yummy recipe, and if you're a vegetarian, you don't even have to add the chicken.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. rosemary

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, minced

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 red onion, quartered

3 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with cooking spray.
2.  In a large bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Place green bell pepper, red bell pepper, red onion, carrots, and eggplant in the marinade, and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
3. While the veggies are cooking, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and garlic in the bowl again. Place chicken in the bowl, and marinate 5 minutes.  
4. Add the chicken to the vegetables and bake for 20 more minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear.