Thursday, June 2, 2011

Warm Chicken Sausage and Potato Salad

I am on such a bad binge eating frenzy this week.

Yesterday, I decided to come home and eat a bowl full of ice cream, followed by a handful of flavor blasted goldfish (pizza-yum), to be followed by a handful of gummy bears and to finish it with 9 mini pizzas (at least I made them myself?)

Ugh. And nowwww Bertha is out.. and is staying out. (Bertha is my food baby) Aw man!!

With this weekend looming, I am conflicted with trying to eat healthy and just letting go. On one hand, Eric is visiting and we will be going to the beach- this means I should be in tip top beach body shape.... I should....

On the other hand, we're going to Borgata- this means fine dining (with food that isn't exactly healthy)... plus we're probably going to be burning loads of carbs/energy by gambling all night.. right? right?

Ok. I am bad and I make excuses. At least to make myself feel better- I made this Warm Chicken Sausage & Potato Salad for dinner this week! My conscience thanks you EatingWell.com!



The recipe follows:


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1 pound small potatoes, cut in half
1 5-ounce bag arugula (about 4 cups, gently packed)
12 ounces precooked chicken sausage, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon whole-grain or Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper, to taste





Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Place potatoes in a steamer basket and steam, covered, until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add arugula; cover with foil to keep warm.
Cook sausage in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and heated through, about 5 minutes. Add to the potato-arugula mixture.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in vinegar, maple syrup and mustard, scraping up any browned bits. Gradually whisk in oil. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until the arugula is wilted. Season with pepper.




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Yup. That's it. Pretty simple huh?










I used sugar free maple syrup just to be on the extra healthy side and to give it a bit of a kicked- used smokey andouille chicken sausage. I couldn't get a bag of Arugula (boo ShopRite) but I got a bag of mixed greens which I decided to not wilt just so it maintains it's crispy crunch. I usually don't like mustard and was a bit scared about the dressing, but it turned out so simple and delicious and not at all overwhelming!




This recipe, I would say, is a good recipe for those looking for something different than their regular greens with dressing. The potatoes, I felt took away from the salad, and I secretly wished I sauteed it with the sausage some to give it some flavor- way too bland. Although, I probably wouldn't make this again as it didn't wow me too much (meh, I hate salads), I would say that this definitely makes a pretty salad with lots of flavor overall.




Looking for a warm salad with a bit of a kick? Try this salad out and let me know how it goes!




Difficulty: Easy


Taste: 7


Time: 20 minutes












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