Dairy-Free Toad in the Hole

Yes, I tried it tonight, and it was DELICIOUS!!! A few weeks ago I tried making it for the first time - I used a recipe and made it exactly according the the directions. This time I wanted Briahna to be able to eat it - so instead of milk I used soy milk and it was Gooooo o o o d!!! :D

Bohemian Sausage Casserole

For 5-6 Servings:

10 pork sausages, sliced
1 can tomato soup
2 x cans chopped tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup red lentils
1 cup bacon or chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried rosemary

1. Cook the sausages in a non-stick frying pan until well browned on both sides. Transfer to a large casserole dish.
2. Add the tomato soup, tomatoes, garlic, onion, red lentils, stock, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 45 minutes in a moderate oven. Throw in the rosemary, taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Serve on large plates with winter vegetables, like broccoli and brussel sprouts.

This recipe works well in a crockpot on low setting. :)

Creamy Curried Sausages

I make this dairy free, because my youngest daughter is intolerant to cows-milk. I have learnt to be very adept at checking out the packaging on items, and to adjusting recipes. This dish is extremely delicious.

For 4-5 servings:

1 Tbsp dairy-free margarine
2-3 tsp mild curry powder
1 onion
1 carrot
2 stalks of celery
1 cup water
400-500g precooked sausages
1 cup frozen peas
2 Tbsp cornflour
1 1/2 tsp instant chicken stock
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup rice or soy milk

1. Melt the margarine in a medium to large pot. Stir in the curry powder and cook gently, without browning, while you prepare the vegetables.
2. Cut the onion, carrot and celery into small (5mm) cubes. As each is prepared, stir it into the curry and margarine. (Make sure that you have at lease a cup of each prepared vegetable.) After the celery is chopped, add the water, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. While the vegetables simmer, skin the precooked sausages and slice them 5mm thick. Add them with the frozen peas, and cook 5 minutes longer. By this time, all the vegetables should be tender.
4. Remembering to use absolutely level measures, mix the cornflour, instant stock and sugar together, then add the milk and stir until smooth. Add to the curried vegetables and sausages and stir gently until the mixture thickens.

Serve in large bowls, on plain cooked rice or on spirals or other pasta.

Dee's Devilled Sausages in the Crockpot

For 4-6 servings:
8-12 sausages (about 500-600g)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornflour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp soya sauce
1 Tbsp wine vinegar
1 can chopped tomatoes (400g)
1 stick celery (chopped)
1 large onion
1 can peaches (400g) - you usually use 1-2 green skinned apples, but my youngest daughter can't eat cooked apple, so I substituted them with peaches and it's YUMMY!

1. Seperate and chop the sausages into 1 cm chunks. Brown in a heavy-based frypan and throw into the crockpot with the sugar, cornflour and salt. Add the liquids and stir until smooth.

2. Chop the peeled onion length-wise and brown in the frypan you used previously. Add browned onion, celery and peaches to the crockpot, and stir into the mixture.

3. Cook for 8 hours on low setting.

Serve on rice, with baked or mashed potatoes, and beans or broccoli.

Whenever I have cooked this dish in the past I have used the Maggi Seasonings, but this time I tryed cooking it from scratch. It was DELICIOUS, way better this way! As we were going out for a pot-luck tea, I made it stretch by topping the cooked sausages with mashed potatoes and cheese. Everyone loved it, it was SOOOO good! :) This is a recipe I will use again.

Toad-in-the-hole

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
6 thick beef or pork sausages

1. Sift the flour, salt and pepper into a bowl and make a well in the centre.

2. Blend egg and milk together and pour into the well in the flour and stir gradually to make a smooth batter. Whisk it and continue to beat for about 3 minutes.

3. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a jug and set aside for 30 minutes.

4. Place the sausages in a cast-iron pan and bake at 240 degrees celcius for 10 minutes.

5. Pour the batter over the hot sausages and return to the oven lowering the heat to 220 degrees celcius for 30 minutes.

Serve hot cut into wedges with fresh salad or greens.

Cooks Tip
Allowing the batter to stand lets the gluten rest, ensuring a tender batter. Do not beat again before cooking.

This was the first time I had ever made toad-in-the-hole, and it was GOOD! I grew up eating lots of different sausage dishes and it's about time I tried some of the recipes - they are cheap, good to eat, especially for families on a budget. My husband, who is a very fussy eater LOVES this dish (well, He is english afterall...).

Look out for more sausage recipes that I will put on this blog over the coming weeks.