Sausage & Greens Dirty Rice

3 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup minced onion
1 Tbls. Creole seasoning or other spicy mix
1/2 Tbls. minced garlic
1 Tbls. soy sauce
1 Tbls. butter or coconut oil
2 cups minced kale, spinach, swiss chard, or orach
1 lb. ground sausage
1 1/2 cups rice

Bring water to boil in a pot over high heat. Add onion, seasoning, garlic, soy sauce, and butter/oil, stirring until mixed. Add the greens, sausage, and rice. Stir to break up the sausage into small bits. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the rice is done. Remove from heat and let repose, covered, for another 5 minutes before serving.

Sausage Bread

Bread:
2 tsp dry yeast or .6 oz cake yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 cups warm water or vegetable stock
1 Tbls salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tiny pinch of lavender buds
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp thyme

Filling:
1 pound ground sausage
3/4 cup grated or minced onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese

1 egg for glaze

Stir together the sugar, yeast, and water/vegetable stock. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time. With the last cup, add in the salt and herbs. Knead on a floured countertop until the dough is smooth and less sticky. Coat the dough with oil, place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

While the dough is rising, cook the sausage, onion, carrot, and garlic in a pot over medium heat. Cook until the sausage is mostly browned. Some pink is ok, as it will be cooked again. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and stir it into the meat mixture.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough out into a rectangle taking up the whole space of the baking sheet, then place the filling along the middle 1/3 of the dough, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of free space at the ends. Cut slashes along the sides of the dough.

 

Fold the short ends over the filling, then fold each fringe piece of dough over the middle, alternating sides and stretching at a diagonal to create a braided look. Pinch closed any large gaps in the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another 30 minutes.  Towards the end, set the oven to preheat to 350 F.

When the dough is done rising, beat an egg and brush it all over the loaf.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Sausage Gravy

1/2 pound ground pork sausage
3 Tbls. flour
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

In a skillet over medium-high heat, break the sausage into chunks. Cook, stirring, until it is all browned. Add a little of the vegetable stock if needed to keep it from sticking to the pan.

Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir it all in. Then slowly pour in the vegetable stock and milk, stirring constantly. Let the gravy simmer to thicken.

When it is as thick as you want it, add the seasoned salt.

Serve with biscuits or potatoes.

Lentil Sausage Casserole

1 lb ground sausage (any kind)
5 cups cooked and drained lentils (2 cups uncooked)
1/2 cup water or stock
1 cup onion, minced
2 cups spinach, orach, kale, or Swiss chard, shredded and packed
1 Tbls. barbecue sauce
1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring to make crumbly. Drain off grease. Mix together with everything but the cheese. Spread into an oiled 9x13" baking pan. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.