A take on the Hero....

April 6, 2015

This weekend we tried the Turkey Sausage and Pepper Heros. I've been craving a sausage sandwich, which for me is usually a type of spicy sausage on a hero bun with loads of bell peppers and onions and copious amounts of mustard. This sandwich is interesting in that it's bursting with tomato and basil flavor which is used as marinade for the vegetables and sausage and then as a mix in for a bean puree that fills out the sandwich. It's quite an interesting medley of flavors.

Turkey Sausage and Pepper Heros

GTLF: Grilling p. 29

Serves 4, working time 20 min., total time 35 min.

Two 8 oz. cans no salt added tomato sauce

3/4 C chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 C canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

10 oz Italian style turkey sausage, cut into 16 pieces

3 bell peppers, mixed colors, each cut into 16 pieces

1 spanish onion, cut into 16 chunks

4 long Italian style rolls (2 oz ea.) split

1. In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce, basil, vinegar, and salt. In a food processor, combine 1/2 C of the tomato basil sauce and the kidney beans and process to a puree, about 30 seconds. Set the bean mixture aside. Measure out another 1/2 C of the tomato basil sauce and set aside.

2. Preheat the grill to a medium heat. Alternately thread the sausage, bell peppers, and onion onto 8 skewers. Spray the rack, off the grill, with non stick cooking spray. Grill the kebabs, covered, turning occasionally and basting with the remaining tomato basil sauce, for 10 min., or until the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are crisp tender. Grill the rolls, cut sides down, for 30 seconds to lightly toast.

3. Place the rolls on 4 plates. Spread the reserved bean mixtures on the cut sides of the rolls. Using 2 skewers per sandwich, push the sausage and vegetables off the skewers onto the rolls. Drizzle the reserved 1/2 C tomato basil sauce over the sandwiches and serve.

Nutritional Information: 11 g fat, 421 calories, 2.6 g sat. fat, 59 g carbohydrate, 25 g protein, 46 mg cholesterol, 937 mg sodium.

Tips:

1. Check to be sure you have skewers. We haven't bought the metal kind yet, so we're still using the wooden ones and they run out. This recipe requires them, so because I didn't have any I just put them all on the grill... I have an electric one, if you're using a gas one, you'll have to have one of those attachments that doesn't let food fall through the grill cracks.

2. Understand about sausage... I think that "sausage" means that you have a spiced meat that is packed into a light skin or casing that holds the meat together. I initially bought spiced Italian ground turkey meat instead of the sausage and when I realized about the skewers, I knew I couldn't use the ground meat so this caused me a second run to the grocery store...