It's so funny when I plan a meal and can tell that Geoff is not looking forward to it. He put this one off for SEVERAL days, trying to get out of it ;) But, we finally tried it last night and he even said that he liked it! With grilled chicken sausage, veggies, rice and avocado-ranch sauce... it WAS really good, super easy (and cheap!) to make, and only 430 calories.

 

Here's what you'll need:

1 pack Al Fresco All-Natural Chicken Sausage, Sweet Italian Flavor

1 Yellow Squash

1 Zucchini

1 Eggplant

1 c. uncooked brown rice

Avocado-Ranch Sauce (recipe helow)

 

First, prep your sauce: 

1 large ripe avocado

1/2 handful fresh cilantro

1/2 jalapeño, stem and seeds removed

1 tbsp minced garlic

3 tablespoons buttermilk

4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

Throw all of that in a food processor or blender and mix well.

Remove, put in a covered container and put in the fridge.

(You can also make more and save remaining sauce for up to a week)

 

Start your rice and prep your eggplant.

Cook rice to package directions, generally about 45 minutes.

After you've started that, cut all of your veggies into 1/2 in. rounds, setting aside the zucchini and yellow squash.

Put your eggplant in a strainer and salt both sides of each piece. You'll want to let this sit for about 30 minutes.

While your eggplant is sweating, pre-heat your grill or George Foreman (we used George Foreman).

Add your veggies in a single layer (you may need to do several rounds, I had to do 3) and grill for about 5-10 minutes, until soft.

Once you are done grilling all of the veggies, cut them in half or into fourths (I like my super bite-sized).

Place on a baking sheet, and put in the oven on 200 degrees to keep warm.

Bring another large pot filled halfway with water to a boil and drop in your sausages. You'll want to cook these for about 10 minutes so they are almost done in the water.

Remove from water, then put those on the grill and grill for another 10 minutes.

Remove from grill, cut into small pieces and assemble your bowls:

Rice, Veggies, Sausage, Sauce. 

Tip: I put my sauce in a ziplock baggie and cut a small hole in the bottom to make it look pretty!

 

 

Enjoy!