Feelin’ Hot-Hot-Hot

With only two days left until the official start of fall, I couldn’t wait any longer to get my apartment in the autumn spirit! Ryan stepped away from keeping tabs on his fantasy football players for a minute to help me reach the “holiday box,” stuffed to the brim with decorations to get the apartment through the holidays. Within 20 minutes we had a fall-tastic apartment!

What a Welcoming Pumpkin!

Festive Foliage

Apparently the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino did more than I thought to get me in the fall spirit! 

Dinner tonight was an easy decision because of this lil’ baby that arrived in the mail yesterday:

Cooking Light, October 2009

This cover of Cooking Light is beautiful. I love all the warm, seasonal colors and the cover image is mouthwatering. After flipping through the magazine pool-side this afternoon, I clipped a recipe for a creole shrimp and sausage stew that looked yummy and easy-peasy.

Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew Recipe

After adding the recipe to my handy-dandy recipe binder and receiving the approval from Ryan, we began slicing a fresh green pepper and lean turkey sausage to throw into a pot with olive oil and garlic.

Turkey Sausage, Garlic, Green Pepper and Olive Oil

The next step was to add a can of tomatoes with green chilis and a can of drained and rinsed kidney beans.  

Adding Beans, Tomatoes and Chilis

To complete the stew, we added shrimp and parsley.

Creole Stew with Shrimp

The stew was savory, spicy and made my mouth water a bit! I am a sissy with spicy foods but made it through my entire bowl, though my mouth was hot-hot-hot by the end. Ryan and I both agreed this recipe is a keeper!

Ready to Dig In!

Yummers!

Hot!

Here’s the recipe (makes four servings, approximately one cup each):

Ingredients:

2  teaspoons  olive oil

1  cup  chopped green bell pepper

1  cup  thinly sliced turkey smoked sausage (about 6 ounces)

1  teaspoon  bottled minced garlic

3/4  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1  (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (such as Rotel)

8  ounces  peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1  (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add bell pepper, sausage, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until bell pepper is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in shrimp and beans; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until shrimp are done. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 191

Fat: 6g (sat 1.7g,mono 2.7g,poly 1g)

Protein: 21.3g

Carbohydrate: 13.2g

Fiber: 3.5g

Cholesterol: 97mg

Iron: 2.9mg

Sodium: 694mg

Calcium: 127mg