Pork
I have really been loving my air fryer and use it for so many things, other than french fries. I rarely use it for pre-made frozen products as I try not to have that stuff in the house but I came across a package of P.F. Chang’s frozen pork and vegetable dumplings in my freezer. I decided to give them a try in the air fryer. I was pleasantly surprised as it crisped the dumplings right up BUT Jim was not as excited as I was about them as he does not like crispy dumplings the way I do. So he just thought they were ok. So for those of you that like that crisp bite you will enjoy these otherwise you might be like Jim and think they are just ok. I’ll leave it up to you if you want to try them in the air fryer.
INGREDIENTS
1 box P.F. Chang’s Pork And vegetable dumplings
DIRECTIONS
Place the frozen dumplings in your air fryer and fry at 375 degrees for 7 minutes, turn them over and air fry for an additional 6-7 minutes. Remove from the fryer, warm the sauce as directed and serve warm.
Please note air fryers do not cook the same so the times may vary.
Enjoy!
This is another recipe I adapted for Robby. Let’s face it, soup season is here and everyone loves a bowl of warm hearty soup. Although this was made for Robby we all enjoyed this soup, the broth is simply delicious. If you want it a little richer and you can have dairy you could add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream! I used a gluten-free “hot” sausage as we wanted that punch of flavor, but you can use any sausage you like. The sausage and potatoes make this a hearty dish on our New England winter days.
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons garlic infused olive oil
1 lb. uncooked gluten-free sausage (I used a hot sausage)
6 cups organic gluten-free chicken bone broth
1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes, diced
2-3 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 Teaspoon chicken base such as Better Than Broth (I used a gluten-free base)
DIRECTIONS
Heat infused olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the sausage and brown until cooked through. I tried not to break up the sausage too much as I wanted sausage bites to be in there. Add the chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender about 15 minutes. Stir in spinach and red pepper flakes. Cook until spinach is wilted. Add the chicken base and stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
I recently made these sausage stars for a small group of friends and realized they are not on the blog! I don’t know how in the world that happened as these are one of our families most favorite appetizers! They are always one of the first dishes to go whenever I make them. If we are holding a big party I will usually make the sausage mixture and the wontons the day before. Then on party day put the sausage mixture in the wontons and bake until warmed through. If you have not made these before, we highly recommend this family favorite!
INGREDIENTS
1 pound of Jimmy Dean “hot” sausage
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 package (not prepared) Hidden Valley Ranch dry salad dressing
1/2 cup diced pickled jalapeños
1 red pepper, diced
1 package wonton wrappers
DIRECTIONS
In a large non-stick fry pan crumble and cook the sausage until almost cooked through. Add the cheeses, the salad dressing, jalapeños and diced red pepper mixing until well combined and the sausage is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two muffin tins (I usually make two batches, or 4 dozen) with non-stick spray. Press one wonton wrapper into each cup. Keeping an opening in the center that will be filled with the sausage mixture. Bake the unfilled shells for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place the shells on a baking sheet. Fill the shells with the sausage mixture and place back in the oven until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.
Enjoy!
We loved these jalapeño bites! Spicy from the jalapeño and the “hot” sausage cooled slightly with the cheese…with a crisp bite from the bacon! I made two versions, one being bacon wrapped with two kinds of cheese and the second version was gluten and dairy free without the bacon. Robby did not want the bacon on them. But for Robby’s version I used a gluten and dairy free cheese. I made 20 bites (10 jalapeños) and let me tell you both plates were empty in record time. We liked them so much I went to the store the next day and bought more jalapeños. The sausage makes a lot so I had plenty of the filling and bacon left. The filling is also great on nachos or even on pizza. This will be on made many times at my house, even when we hit the road camping! The filling can be made ahead and I would crisp and crumble the bacon and just put the crumbles on top for a camping version. All you would need to do is assemble them, place on a baking sheet and grill until they are heated through! Our family likes spicy food so I use the hot sausage, but you can use the regular sausage as well.
NOTE – one jalapeno will give you two stuffed portions. I made them twice buying 20 jalapeños in total. Depending on how many you want you can purchase as many jalapeños as needed using all of the filling or using the filling for other yummy things!
INGREDIENTS
jalapeños
1 package Jimmy Dean HOT sausage
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Bacon- I used a half slice bacon per sliced jalapeños
NOTE – If making them dairy free/gluten free use dairy free, gluten free cheese. I used Daiya brand.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a baking rack on top of the baking sheet, set aside. In a large frying pan fry the sausage over medium heat until fully cooked, crumbling the sausage as it cooks through. Drain any fat from the pan and add both cheeses, cook melting the cheese and mixing it into the sausage making cheeses goodness! Remove from heat and set aside.
Slice the jalapeños in half, using a spoon remove the ribs and seeds from the middle of the jalapeño, do this for each one. To fill, simply fill each jalapeño half with a spoonful of the sausage mixture and wrap 1/2 of a bacon slice around the jalapeño. Do this for each one and place on your prepared baking sheet with the baking rack. When all of the jalapeños are filled and wrapped bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until bacon is cooked through and lightly crisped. Remove from oven and serve warm.
Enjoy!
This is so easy to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes. I made this gluten free as our son has been having some belly issues so it’s easily adaptable. The noodles are gluten free so they do look a little different. I was also able to find a gluten free andouille sausage that added such a nice pop of flavor. The recipe did not call for Parmesan cheese but just before serving I threw a handful of cheese into each bowl (not Robby’s) and stirred it in. If I did not tell my family this was gluten free they would not have known, everyone enjoyed it!
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium head of cabbage (or packed slaw mix)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles ( I used spiral), cooked until firm
1 smoked kielbasa ring, sliced
Parmesan cheese-optional
DIRECTIONS
In a 5 quart Dutch oven over medium high heat, cook the bacon stirring often, until the bacon is cooked and starting to crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a plate, cover to keep warm.
To the same pot as the bacon drippings add the sliced kielbasa, onion, cabbage, salt and pepper to cook stirring constantly for five minutes, then add the chicken broth. Lower the heat and cover and cook until cabbage starts to soften, stirring often to prevent burning. About 15 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain. When the cabbage is ready, add the pasta and bacon to the pot and stir mixing well. Add a handful of Parmesan cheese if desired.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
