Smoked Sausage and Veggie Skillet

A while back smoked sausage was on sale for a ridiculously good price, so I bought a bunch of it. And now it sits in my freezer, mocking me every time I open it to see what I'm making for dinner, knowing I can't make it as often as I'd like because it bothers my mother to eat.

But one of the cool things about it being on sale is I got to try a couple of new varieties that I've been intrigued by for a while, including the 4 Pepper I used in this recipe. It's actually pretty darn hot, which was a pleasant surprise for me.

I was in an Asian frame of mind even though I usually wouldn't think of putting smoked sausage in a stir-fry, so I figured I'd run with it. Worst thing that could happen is it was awful and I wouldn't post the recipe. So I gathered together the sausage, some frozen broccoli and cauliflower, a Vidalia onion, and some water chestnuts. Then I decided both olive oil and sesame oil would be good, along with some Maggi seasoning, some rice vinegar, some garlic, and some orange-lemon-pepper from Olde Thompson. We are nothing if not eclectic.

First, I heated the oils together in a large skillet, then added the garlic and onion. I sauteed them for a few minutes until they were tender, and from there it went pretty quick. The onion was the only thing in this entire recipe that wasn't pre-cooked, but that was perfect for a weeknight meal when it was hot and humid.

I then sliced the sausage on a diagonal about 1/2-inch thick and added that to the pan. I cooked it for a few minutes, to ensure the sausage was warmed through and also to get some of the grease to render, which I then poured off. From there, I dumped everything that was left in the pan and cooked it, stirring occasionally, until we were ready to eat. That took something like 10 minutes, although to be honest I wasn't really paying that much attention to how long it had been cooking, but rather the clock (we aim for eating at 6pm, and it was probably done a bit earlier than that). I just turned the heat down to low and stirred occasionally to make sure it didn't stick or burn.

Voila! Quick and easy weeknight supper that took less than a half hour from start to finish. And it was tasty besides! What more could you ask for?

Yeah, you could probably serve it over rice or pasta or something if you want, but I tend to skip those to save on carbs. She is allowed so few of them that I tend to hoard them for use in meals that require a starch.

Smoked Sausage and Veggie Skillet

Serves 6

1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
14 ounces smoked sausage, sliced
16 ounces frozen broccoli and cauliflower, thawed
1 (6 ounces) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce (I used Meri Maggi seasoning)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon orange-lemon-pepper seasoning blend (I used Olde Thompson)
1/2 teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend (again, I used Olde Thompson)

Heat oils in a large skillet or wok; add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, until sausage releases most of its grease; drain off as much liquid as you can.

Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has absorbed and everything is heated through. Serve as is, or over rice if you desire.

Serving Size: 202g

Calories: 327

Calories from Fat: 191

Total Fat: 21.2g

Saturated Fat: 6.4g

Trans Fat: 0.2g

Cholesterol: 56mg

Sodium: 639mg

Total Carbohydrates: 15.5g

Dietary Fiber: 1.5g

Sugars: 2.1g

Protein: 14.9g