Chicken Apple Sausage with Curried Apple Couscous

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"To be a good cook, you have to have a love of the good, a love of  hard work and a love of creating."  -Julia Child This dish is a totally do-able weeknight dinner but it has levels of complexity in flavor which make it appear as if it were a slaved-over Sunday night dinner. What's not to love about that? The cayenne pepper gives this sweet dish a perfect pinch of heat and the water chestnuts give it an unexpected, fresh crunch. I served this with an additional side of roasted cauliflower. That is my go-to side dish year round. Take a raw head of cauliflower, chop it up, spray it with cooking spray, sprinkle it with your favorite spices and roast it for approximately 30-40 minutes on 400 degrees, turning occasionally.  Also, I must mention that my non-vegetable/fruit eating sister even ate the couscous! That speaks volumes on behalf of this dish for those who know her.  Ingredients:  1 package of Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage 1 medium yellow onion  1 large shallot 3 cloves of fresh garlic  4 handfuls of fresh kale 1 apple (I used a pink lady) 1 pear (I used a green anjou) 1 can of water chestnuts  1 cup of dry couscous 1 box of your choice of broth (I used Trader Joes Miso Ginger) 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon  1 teaspoon of garam masala 2-3 teaspoons of curry powder 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper Salt and Pepper to taste where appropriate  Directions: 1.) Prepare couscous according to box directions. I used Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Couscous and it required 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of "water" which I subbed out for the miso broth. You bring the butter and broth to a boil, add the couscous and take it off the heat. Let it stand for 5-10 mins and then just fluff it with a fork. This my first time making it and it was super simple!  2.) First, cook the kale. You don't have to do this but I will share a tip I learned from my boyfriend's mom. She freezes fresh herbs so that they are easier to chop (and always available!). I tried this out with the kale and it made it so easy to chop. So, chop the kale into bite sized pieces and add it to a pan over medium heat with one clove of chopped garlic and 1/2 cup of broth.  3.) When the kale reaches the desired tenderness, drain it if there is excess liquid and set it aside in a small bowl.  4.) Just wipe out the pan and over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 sliced shallot, 1/2 rough chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves. Cook until the onions begin to become translucent and fragrant.  4.) Peel and chop the water chestnuts, pear and apple. Next, add them to the onion, garlic, shallot butter mix.  5.) Add in the garlic salt, curry, garam masala, ginger and cayenne pepper. 6.) Add 1/4 cup of broth at a time. Depending on how long you cook your mix, it may take 3/4 of a cup. Simmer the mixture until the apples and pears are fork tender.  7.) Add the apple mix to the kale on the side. Wipe out the pan and place it back over medium heat. 8.) Take the sausage and slice into diagonal, bite sized pieces. Slice the last 1/4 of your onion.  9.) Add 1/4 cup of broth to the pan along with the sausage and onions. Continually add splashes of broth to deglaze the pan as your sausage cooks. When they get a nice golden outside, take them off the heat and set aside.  10.) Do not wipe out the pan. Just splash some broth into it and add your kale and apple mix back into it. Add the cooked couscous and mix thoroughly. Heat through and serve!  11.) I kept the sausage and couscous separate because I didn't think my sister would eat it with the kale in it but to my surprise, she did! Next time I make this, I will add the sausage into the couscous at the end.  Check out the finished products:

"To be a good cook, you have to have a love of the good, a love of 

hard work and a love of creating." 

-Julia Child

This dish is a totally do-able weeknight dinner but it has levels of complexity in flavor which make it appear as if it were a slaved-over Sunday night dinner. What's not to love about that? The cayenne pepper gives this sweet dish a perfect pinch of heat and the water chestnuts give it an unexpected, fresh crunch. I served this with an additional side of roasted cauliflower. That is my go-to side dish year round. Take a raw head of cauliflower, chop it up, spray it with cooking spray, sprinkle it with your favorite spices and roast it for approximately 30-40 minutes on 400 degrees, turning occasionally. 

Also, I must mention that my non-vegetable/fruit eating sister even ate the couscous! That speaks volumes on behalf of this dish for those who know her. 

Ingredients: 

1 package of Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage
1 medium yellow onion 
1 large shallot
3 cloves of fresh garlic 
4 handfuls of fresh kale
1 apple (I used a pink lady)
1 pear (I used a green anjou)
1 can of water chestnuts 
1 cup of dry couscous
1 box of your choice of broth (I used Trader Joes Miso Ginger)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 teaspoon of garam masala
2-3 teaspoons of curry powder
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste where appropriate 

Directions:

1.) Prepare couscous according to box directions. I used Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Couscous and it required 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of "water" which I subbed out for the miso broth. You bring the butter and broth to a boil, add the couscous and take it off the heat. Let it stand for 5-10 mins and then just fluff it with a fork. This my first time making it and it was super simple! 

2.) First, cook the kale. You don't have to do this but I will share a tip I learned from my boyfriend's mom. She freezes fresh herbs so that they are easier to chop (and always available!). I tried this out with the kale and it made it so easy to chop. So, chop the kale into bite sized pieces and add it to a pan over medium heat with one clove of chopped garlic and 1/2 cup of broth. 

3.) When the kale reaches the desired tenderness, drain it if there is excess liquid and set it aside in a small bowl. 

4.) Just wipe out the pan and over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 sliced shallot, 1/2 rough chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves. Cook until the onions begin to become translucent and fragrant. 

4.) Peel and chop the water chestnuts, pear and apple. Next, add them to the onion, garlic, shallot butter mix. 

5.) Add in the garlic salt, curry, garam masala, ginger and cayenne pepper.

6.) Add 1/4 cup of broth at a time. Depending on how long you cook your mix, it may take 3/4 of a cup. Simmer the mixture until the apples and pears are fork tender. 

7.) Add the apple mix to the kale on the side. Wipe out the pan and place it back over medium heat.

8.) Take the sausage and slice into diagonal, bite sized pieces. Slice the last 1/4 of your onion. 

9.) Add 1/4 cup of broth to the pan along with the sausage and onions. Continually add splashes of broth to deglaze the pan as your sausage cooks. When they get a nice golden outside, take them off the heat and set aside. 

10.) Do not wipe out the pan. Just splash some broth into it and add your kale and apple mix back into it. Add the cooked couscous and mix thoroughly. Heat through and serve! 

11.) I kept the sausage and couscous separate because I didn't think my sister would eat it with the kale in it but to my surprise, she did! Next time I make this, I will add the sausage into the couscous at the end. 

Check out the finished products: