Lentil-Chickpea Stew with Chicken Sausage and Beer served with Apple Cheddar Beer Muffins
Yes, I can find a way to incorporate beer into every recipe. Guilty as charged. What can I say, my husband has a talent for brewing beer and I have a gift for consuming it. In creative ways:
Cheesy Beer Bread
Spent Grain Pizza Dough
Spicy Kale, Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew with Beer and Paprika
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Chipotle Pulled Pork
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Spent Beer Grain Cookies
Magic Hat #9 Birthday Cake
But really, what do you think gives a chili or stew better flavor: broth or BEER? Let’s just say that I haven’t been to too many broth tastings lately.
Lentil-Chickpea Stew with Chicken Sausage and Beer
A Messy Kitchen Original
8 ounces precooked chicken sausage links, sliced
1 cup chopped onions
2 cups chopped green cabbage
1 cup diced bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 12oz light beer
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dried lentils
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice
3 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
- Coat a Dutch oven with no-stick spray and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add the sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until browned.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook a few more minutes. Finally add the cabbage, peppers, and 1 cup of the vegetable broth. Cook for additional 5 minutes.
- Add the lentils, rice, chickpeas, cumin, paprika, beer and the remaining 3 cups broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the stew is thick. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Serves 6
Apple Cheddar Beer Muffins
Adapted from Crumb
- 1 cup grated peeled Cortland or Gala apple (about 2 apples)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 3 cups flour (wheat or white)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ cups dark beer or hard cider
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1¼ cup grated sharp cheddar, divided
- Preheat oven to 375F. Grease muffin pan or line with muffin papers.
- Press the grated apples between two layers of paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat, and add apple and onion. Saute for 7 minutes, or until soft. Stir in garlic, rosemary and pepper, and cook for 1 minute longer or until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cooked apple mixture, beer, applesauce, and 1 cup shredded cheddar, and stir until just barely combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth out the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup cheddar. Return to the oven to bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
