Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Pizza on a Stick!

A great and fun summer recipe that is easy to make with the kids too!  For this recipe you will need the following:
     8 ounces of Italian turkey sausage links
     2 cups of whole fresh mushrooms
     2 cups of cherry tomatoes
     1 medium onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
     1 large green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
     30 slices of turkey pepperoni
     1 tube of refrigerated pizza crust
     1 1/2 cups of shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
     1 1/4 cups of pizza sauce, warmed

     In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  When cool enough to handle, cut sausage into 20 pieces.  On 10 metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread the sausage, vegetables, and pepperoni. 
     Unroll pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface; cut width wise into 1 inch wide strips.  Starting the pointed end of a prepared skewer, pierce skewer through one end of the dough strip and press dough against last ingredients on the skewer.  Spiral-wrap dough strip around skewer, allowing vegetables and meats to peek through.  Wrap the remaining end of the dough strip around skewer above the first ingredient.  Repeat with remaining dough strips and prepared skewers.
     Arrange kabobs on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are tender and pizza crust is golden.  Immediately sprinkle with cheese and serve with pizza sauce. 

Turkey Sausage Pasta with Vegetables

With the use of turkey sausage and whole wheat pasta, this is a pasta dish that you can eat even when trying to lose pounds for that summer beach trip!  For this recipe you will need the following:
     2 cups of uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
     1 pound of Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
     1 3/4 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms
     1 can (15 oz) of fire-roasted (or the flavor of your choice) diced tomatoes, undrained
     1 (6 oz) package of fresh baby spinach


    



Cook the penne according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the sausage and mushrooms over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain.









Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil.












Add the spinach; cook and stir until spinach is wilted.










Drain pasta; stir into turkey mixture.  Sprinkle with the cheese of your choice and enjoy!  Serving size: 1 1/2 cups=445 calories