Sage Sausage and Veggie Pita Pockets

Want something the whole family can enjoy?  How about a pita pocket?  This is full of protein and veggies, so it's pretty healthy, too.  I like this dish during any time of the year, too, because it's so colorful.  It could be a part of a Christmas celebration or a Mardi Gras celebration or anything in between!  It's just a fun dish to serve.

Ingredients:

2 lbs sage sausage
3 bell peppers (all colors), chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
5 white mushrooms, chopped
1 cup apple jelly
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Pita pockets

Chop all veggies and put aside.  Crumble and fry up the sausage in a large pan.  Add the veggies when the sausage has been cooked through.  Cook on the stove top for about 5 minutes on high, stirring constantly.

In a small saucepan, mix together the apple jelly and the mustard.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 

Fill a pita pocket with the sausage mixture and drizzle with a little of the apple/mustard sauce.  Enjoy!

Gnocchi-Meatball Casserole

It's wintertime and it's cold outside.  We all like to have something nice and hearty to warm up to when we come home in the evening.  This recipe came out of Diabetic Living magazine, so it's low in sugars and fat.  It has 217 calories per serving (3/4 cup) and 15 g of protein!  I've never cooked with gnocchi before, so this will be a first for me. :)

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) package shelf-stable potato gnocchi

1 1/2 cups light or no-sugar-added tomato-based sauce

12 oz extra lean ground beef

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 Tbsp egg substitute (or 1 egg lightly beaten)

2 Tbsp dry whole wheat bread crumbs

1/2 tsp crushed, dried oregano

1/2 tsp crushed, dried basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

2 tsp olive oil

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (2 oz)

Directions

Lightly coat a 2-quart rectangular basking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 

Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain.  Transfer to a large bowl and stir in pasta sauce.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, the finely chopped onion, egg, bread crumbs, oregano, basil, garlic powder, and fennel seeds.  Shape mixture into 24 equal-sized balls.

In a large skillet heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and sliced onion.  Cook about 7 minutes or until tender.  Add to gnocchi and pasta sauce.

In the same large skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the meatballs, half at a time, about 6 minutes or until cooked through, turning occasionally.  Transfer meatballs to bowl wit gnocchi and vegetables.  Stir gently to combine.

Pour gnocchi mixture into prepared baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese on top and back uncovered about 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted and golden brown.  Serves 8.