Shrimp and Turkey Sausage Cioppino

Good Afternoon and Happy Wednesday!

I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely day.  That is a joke for all of my local Portlanders.... we are experiencing a gloomy rainy day after being spoiled with a bunch of sunny days.  Such it life.  

Anyhow, it has been the perfect day for warm comfort food and I have a great recipe for Shrimp and Turkey Sausage Cioppino that I want to share with you but first you must endure yet another picture of my bowl of oats!

This was such a good batch that I feel the need to share:)

Organic Apple Raisin Oatmeal topped with Nature's Abundance

1/2 cup Farm to Table Organic Apple Raisin Oatmeal

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tbsp Salba (white chia seeds)

dash of cinnamon

Combine the above ingredients in a small pot and cook over medium heat for 4-6 minutes.  Remove from heat and top with:

1 oz. Sunfood Nature's Abundance Snack Mix

(cashews, jungle peanuts, incan berries, goji berries, hunza raisin)

1 tsp raw honey

I absolutely love this snack mix-- it is so delicious and it was an amazing way to start the day. A warm and cozy bowl of oats.

So one of my goals for 2012 is to find more healthy kid-friendly meals.  My kids love seafood and I am trying to incorporate more sustainable seafood into our diets.

This recipe for Cioppino was a complete winner.  Now of course, serving it in a big bread bowl may not be considered healthy but it did get the kids to try it and they actually did not eat much of the bread because they loved the soup so much.

Cioppino is a fish stew originating in San Francisco. It is considered an Italian-American dish, and is related to various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cuisine.^[1] Cioppino is traditionally made from the catch of the day.

We ended up using shrimp and cod as the seafood components and the addition of turkey sausage gave it a nice rich flavor. 

Shrimp and Turkey Sausage Cioppino

recipe adapted from Giada DeLaurentiss

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1 pound spicy Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
• 2 cups water ( it is traditional to use white wine)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound fresh cod, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Serving suggestion: crusty sourdough bread bowls

Directions

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, garlic, shallots, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage and break into 1/2-inch pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Add the water or wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato paste, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Uncover the pan and add the shrimp, cod, beans, basil, and thyme. Simmer, uncovered, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Ladle the cioppino into soup bowls or bread bowls. 

Yum!

We are off to Timberline Lodge to go snowboarding/skiing tomorrow.  I have never tried to snowboard before but my son REALLY wants to try it so wish me luck.  Zoe is going to attend an all-day beginner snow clinic and Dad is going to snow-shoeing.  He is so relieved that he doesn't have to ski.  Let's just say, it is not his bag.

I am off to gather all our gear.  I hope everyone has a great rest of their day.