Apple Chicken Sausage Delight

This was a crazy good meal.  I know I keep saying that, but I'm finding that the more that I cook Paleo and the more I keep using ingredients that I'm not familiar with, the happier I am with the food I am eating.  I made this one Saturday night and am just getting around to posting it. So you're getting a bonus blog post tonight.

Tonight's Paleo Adventure included an ingredient that I normally would shy away from - brussel sprouts.  I have never liked brussel sprouts.  They are just little heads of cabbage that taste gross.  Well, yeah they do if you just boil them, that's just icky.  Soooo not how I cooked these babies!

This meal was another super find over at PaleOMG.  I don't have the zesty ranch dressing that the recipe called for so I did what I do best, I adapted.  I started by cutting all my brussel sprouts in half, then mixed up my sauce.  I used 3/4 cup of olive oil, 2 TBSP of Dijon mustard and 1 TBSP of lemon juice.  I heated up a pan, threw the sauce in and immediately threw in the brussel sprouts.  I let them cook for a while on one side then flipped them, that's how they came up with the nice caramelized color.

While that's cooking, I put some bacon in a pan and started it cooking.  I also sliced up 4 apple chicken sausage links.  I found these at a local farmer's market along with several other flavors that we've been eating for lunch lately. I added the apple chicken sausage to the bacon pan and let them cook till done.  I used the brussel sprouts as a bed in the bowl then added the sausage and bacon.

Verdict:  The flavors in this meal were amazing.  I wish I had bought more of everything so we had seconds, or even leftovers.  Everyone liked this meal.  The kids liked the brussel sprouts, although, not as much as I put in their bowls (it was a good bit for kids.)  I don't know if it's just because I'm a good cook, or my hubby didn't get such good meals in Kuwait over the last year, but he has been devouring the meals I make.  I don't care, I like it when I cook and he doesn't drown my food in BBQ sauce or ketchup!  This is definitely a meal worth repeating.

APPLE CHICKEN SAUSAGE DELIGHT

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 cups brussel sprouts

4 Chicken Apple Sausages, sliced

4 pieces of bacon, cut in half

4 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup olive oil

2 TBSP Dijon mustard

1 TBSP lemon juice

Spinach leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Slice the brussel sprouts in half.

2. Mix together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice.  Pour into the pan and add the brussel sprouts.

3. Cook for a while, flip after they get nice and brown.  Keep them moving so they don’t burn or stick to the pan!

4. While brussel sprouts are cooking, start cooking bacon in another large skillet.

5. Add the chicken sausage when the bacon starts to render the fat into the pan.

6. When the bacon is ready to flip, flip the bacon and the sausage.

7. Brussel sprouts are finished when they are soft enough to stick a fork through.  Divide into the 4 bowls.

8. Top with the cooked bacon and sausage.