It was a cold, rainy day today, so I felt like making comfort food. Aside from the apple cinnamon streusel muffins I made in the previous post, I made a creamy sausage chowder and some dinner rolls.
I’ve made dinner rolls before, but haven’t been entirely satisfied with the consistency or flavor. This recipe, though, I really felt good about. It’s got enough going on with the flavor that it’s good to eat on its own with butter, but it’s not so overpowering that I can’t pair it with other things. It’s strong enough, too, to not fall apart while I’m eating it with this rich and creamy chowder. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!
Creamy Tuscan Sausage and Kale Chowder
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage, loose from the casing
- 2 tbs butter
- 1/2 c onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 c carrots, chopped small
- 1 c celery, chopped small
- 8 c chicken stock (homemade)
- 4 c frozen spinach/kale mix (or whatever, I just happen to shop at BJ’s and this is what they sell)
- 1 1/2 c zucchini, chopped the same size as the carrots/celery
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 c grated parmesan
- 1 1/2 c heavy cream
- 4 tbs butter
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 tbs thyme, minced
- 3 tbs rosemary, minced
- 1/3 c basil, chiffonaded
- 1/2 c parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp xantham gum
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- cracked black pepper — at LEAST a half teaspoon, but go nuts
- salt to taste
Method:
- In a large stock pot, melt 2 tbs of butter over medium high heat, add the onion, and saute until translucent. Add the sausage and brown, chopping with the spatula.
- Once the meat is browned, add in the garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaves, pepper, cayenne pepper, and chicken stock. Crank the heat up to high and let everything come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high (a slower boil) and cook for about 20 minutes, until everything softens up somewhat but isn’t mushy and gross.
- Add the zucchini and kale. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
- Take a cup of the stock out and put it in a mixing bowl, add in the cream cheese, xantham gum, and parmesan, and whisk until smooth. Pour into the pot and turn off the heat. Finish with the herbs, heavy cream, and butter. Salt to taste.
Makes 12 servings
MACROS:
- Calories: 328
- Fat: 24.7 g
- Carbs: 6.3 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 16.4 g
Herb, Garlic, and Parmesan Dinner Roll
Ingredients:
- 1 c coconut flour
- 1/4 c psyllium husk (use ground, not whole. I grind it myself in the coffee grinder and get the whole psyllium husks from Trader Joe’s, but as always, do you.)
- 2 tbs almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp Italian Herbs
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp xantham gum
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt (or more if you’re down like that)
- 8 eggs
- 8 tbs butter, melted but not super hot
- 1 1/2 c water
- 1/2 – 3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix coconut flour, almond flour, xantham gum, baking powder, herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper to combine. Set aside.
- In another medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to mix the eggs, then add the butter, then the water. Slowly, add in the dry ingredients. Once everything is combined, stir in the parmesan.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment and form the dough into little golfball sized rolls. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. I like them a little crisp around the edges, so I let mine go probably on the side of 30, but really I eyeball the doneness.
Makes 36 rolls
MACROS:
- Calories: 63
- Fat: 4.3 g
- Carbs: 3.1 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
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