Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is one of those meals that’s good if you’ve got leftover rice–as we frequently do. I tend to batch cook brown rice because it reheats well and goes in a lot of stuff. It’s a good one to try on both the Sonoma Diet and South Beach Diet because it’s chock full of good stuff.  Not pretty but tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 cup finely diced Portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• basil
• thyme
• oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 cups finely grated cheddar (or cheese of choice)
• balsamic vinegar
• 3 large bell peppers
• 1 to 1.5 cups cooked rice (I prefer brown)

Directions:

1. Most people, when they make stuffed peppers, cut the top off and pull out the core and ribs of the pepper. This winds up being enormous (and as I am the only REAL pepper fan in our house, wasteful), so I cut them straight down the center, vertically and carefully scoop out the core, ribs, and seeds. Boil in salted water for 3 minutes, then remove to a clean kitchen towel to drain.
2. Brown the hamburger meat with the onion and garlic. Drain off any excess fat.
3. Add meat mixture, can of undrained diced tomatoes, rice, mushrooms a splash of balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp each of the oregano and basil, and 1/4 tsp of the thyme. Mix well. Add salt and pepper.
4. Overfill each pepper and place in a baking dish. Any leftover filling can go in the empty spaces.
5. Cover entire dish with cheese.
6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Vacation Delights

DH and I are on vacation in Colorado this week, so it’s been a matter of old standbys in the crock pot here at the rental cabin as we’re out and about.  Today we went down to Steamboat Springs and had a late lunch at the Old Town Pub & Restaurant.  The atmosphere was nice, the prices very reasonable, and as it was so late, not at all crowded.  I had a fantastic grilled chicken sandwich that was marinated in some sort of teriyaki, topped with pepper jack cheese, a couple of slices of thick hickory smoked bacon, and an avocado dip on top.  I’ll give it a shot at replication at some point.  After lunch we walked down the street to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for dessert.  Oh my dear God.  I think I gained ten pounds from walking through the door.  We picked up a couple of Irish cream truffles (to die for!) and for tonight’s dessert a couple of peanut butter buckets–which are essentially extra large, homemade Reece’s cups that are so much better.  If you’re ever in Steamboat Springs I highly recommend stopping in.

Second Time Around: Bruschetta

So earlier this week I made bruschetta with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and goat cheese for a small dinner party I was hosting.  It was such a hit, I made a second batch for hubby and myself last night (and to save myself some work, I used a can of drained, diced tomatoes–I still think the fresh are better, FYI).  I had the last of the bread with the bruschetta for lunch today, but I still had about half a cup of the topping remaining.  So I decided to do some creative tinkering in the kitchen to see what else I could come up with to do with it.

Naturally, I wound up making pasta–because, let’s face it, almost everything is good on pasta in some form or another.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. dried pasta of your choice (I used cavitapi)
• 1/2 cup leftover bruschetta topping
• 1 whole medium zucchini, diced
• 1/2 cup baby portabella mushrooms
• 1 oz goat cheese
• 2  Tbsp light sour cream
• olive oil
• minced garlic

Instructions:

1. Drizzle olive oil in your skillet and heat over medium high.
2. Start your pasta water and salt.
3. Add garlic (your preference–I only used about a 1/2 tsp because there was loads of garlic in the bruschetta topping)
4. Add zucchini and mushrooms.
5. I also had some pre-grilled chicken (one of those rarely bought convenience foods that I don’t suggest–it’s never as good as when you make it yourself, but I bought it for my non-cooking spouse and then he didn’t like it–gotta use it SOMEWHERE) that I needed to use up that I tossed in, but this would be just as good without meat.
6. Dump your pasta in the boiling water.
7. Sautee veggies until zucchini softens.
8. Add bruschetta topping.
9. Turn down heat and add goat cheese and sour cream. Mix until cheese is melted.
10. Add drained pasta and stir well to coat.

It’s not really a pretty dish, but it was definitely tasty.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

I was looking for something simple to cook for supper tonight.  This came together with a lot of household staples and is like a bit more upscale version of homemade hamburger helper.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 package of fresh baby portobella mushroom
• 8 oz whole wheat extra wide noodles
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

Instructions:

1. Brown the ground beef, drain and rinse.
2. Add can of mushroom soup and 1 canful of water back to the skillet.  Mix well.
3. Add beef back to skillet.
4. Add mushrooms.
5. Add spices.
6. Bring to low boil and simmer on medium low until liquid is reduced by half.
7. Meanwhile, cook noodles to just before al dente (approx. 8 minutes)
8. Add sour cream.  Mix well.
9. Add noodles and stir well, coating with the sauce and letting them rest for a few minutes as the sauce is absorbed.

Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

This was a recipe born of needing to use stuff up before we leave on vacation. I had 2 roma tomatoes and a going to stale baguette, which isn’t quite enough to make bruschetta for more than one. So I decided to toss in roasted red peppers (which hubby will eat) and some of my favorite goat cheese.

Ingredients:

• roma tomatoes (I used 2 but I was making a very small batch)
• roasted red peppers (approximately the same quantity as the tomatoes)
• 1 tsp oil from a jar of sun dried tomatoes
• goat cheese
• basil (5-6 leaves, finely chopped–fresh is best, but dried if that’s not available)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• splash of balsamic vinegar (or more if you prefer)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 baguette

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Slice baguette on the diagonal, approximately 1/2 inch thick slices
3. Parboil the tomatoes for 1 minute to loosen the skin.
4. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin, then seed the tomato, also removing the stem portion.
5. Finely dice the tomatoes.
6. Finely dice approximately the same amount of roasted red peppers (this will vary depending on how many tomatoes you use!)
7. Peel and finely mince the garlic
8. Add tomatoes, red peppers, garlic, olive oil, oil from the sun dried tomatoes, the basil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
9. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. You may have to do this in batches.
10. Bake slices 5-6 minutes or until they just start to turn golden brown
11. Arrange bread on serving platter olive oil side up and top with bruschetta and crumbled goat cheese.

Black Beans and Rice

My husband loves red beans and rice, but I am very much not a fan of red beans. I do, however, love black beans, so tonight I threw this together. We decided it was a keeper.

Serves: 4 (if served with a side, such as a salad), 3 if served alone

Ingredients

• 1 pound smoked turkey sausage (I prefer Oscar Meyer), sliced
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• 1 can of rotel, undrained
• 1 cup of brown rice, cooked
• 1/2 cup diced, roasted red peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• cumin
• cilantro
• paprika

Directions:

1. Saute the garlic and onion over medium high heat until onion is just translucent.
2. Add in sausage and roasted red peppers. Cook until sausage begins to brown.
3. Add black beans, rotel, and chicken stock. Bring to a bubble then reduce head to medium low.
4. Add 1 tsp cilantro, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin (and these are guesstimates, as I wasn’t measuring, just dumping and sniffing!)
5. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half (about 15 minutes?).
6. Add brown rice. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed (about 5 minutes?).
7. Serve with a crusty French bread to mop up the flavors left on the bottom of the bowl.

Bon appetite!

Perfect Pizza Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 (15 oz) cans diced or crushed tomatoes
• 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Mix well in a medium sauce pan. Heat on medium-low for 15 minutes. This makes enough sauce for 3 or 4 large pizzas. Leftovers freeze well. I normally divide up into 3 small freezer bags.

Perfect Pizza Dough

(These pics are from DH’s latest calzone efforts!)

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2.5 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
• 2 Tbsps olive oil
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup milled flax
• 4 cups bread flour

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast, sugar, and honey in the warm water. Let sit about 10 minutes or until cloudy.
2. Stir in the olive oil, whole wheat flour, milled flax, and salt. Mix in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until incorporated. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a slightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (don’t skip this step–it’s what holds the dough together–which is especially important if you’re making calzones) about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl. Place ball of dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume (about an hour). I like to put mine in the oven with the light on.
3. Deflate the dough and turn it out on to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and form into rounds. Cover the rounds and let them rest for about 10 minutes. If you aren’t planning on using all the dough at once, you may place each round in a quart or gallon size bag and refrigerate. I’ve had them still rise properly up to 1 week.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
5. Using a rolling pin (or your hands if you prefer), roll the dough into the desired shape, then place on a pre-warmed pizza stone (use corn meal to prevent sticking), cover with your favorite toppings, and bake at 450 degrees for approximately 18 minutes on a pizza stone, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown.

Favorite toppings in our house include roma tomatoes, fresh basil, turkey pepperoni, and mushrooms.

Seriously Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

Guess I’ve got chicken on the brain. I’ve also got the infamous Crud (that sort of ubiquitous allergy/sinus/cold thing everyone here has this time of year), so I decided to make up a batch of my famous homemade chicken noodle soup for myself. Normally this is reserved for taking to sick friends and family but after having a can of Campbell’s the other day and being massively disappointed, I decided I was worth making my soup for.

Ingredients:

• whole chicken or 3-4 chicken breasts and/or thighs, bone-in (to make stock–homemade is best, but store bought is acceptable–approximately 2 quarts, in which case you can just use boneless breasts and thighs to make it in a hurry)
• olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup of diced carrots (I usually just buy the crinkle cut ones in the freezer section)
• parsley (fresh or dried)
• thyme (1/8th tsp)
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• paprika
• cayenne pepper (the secret ingredient…the little bit of heat helps to decongest)
• 2 cups dry noodles of your choice (I prefer whole wheat rotini or No Yolks dumplins)

Instructions:

1. Boil chicken to make stock. Remove chicken to cool. Once cool, debone and dice or shred with a pair of forks.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Add diced vegetables and garlic and cook over medium heat until onions and celery are translucent and carrots are starting to soften.
4. At this point you can continue on the stovetop or transfer to a crock pot.
5. To the vegetable mixture, add stock (approx. 2 quarts). Add the chicken.
6. Add herbs and spices and cover. If cooking on stovetop, simmer on low for 1 hour. If cooking in a crockpot, cook on low for 4 hours.
7. Add noodles and cook until al dente. Do not add until just before you’re ready to serve or they get mushy and fall apart in the soup.

I’ve always gotten rave reviews when I take this soup to sick friends and family, and I’ve turned quite a few of them into chicken soup snobs–once they had my soup they couldn’t go back to the canned stuff (though I’m sure a lot of that is that homemade soup in general is just a lot better than the canned stuff rather than any superior skill on my part). Bon appetite!

In A Pinch Chicken Salad

Uninspired for lunch or dinner?  Looking for something easy?  This is a good, fast recipe that came about because my mother was trying to lighten up and duplicate the chicken salad at La Bagette in Memphis (which is her all time favorite).  She mixed it up and asked what I thought and I (being the foodie of the two of us) started listing things I thought we should add.  So I mixed up my own batch of the following when I got home last night.  It turned out pretty well considering I just kinda threw it together as a 10 o’clock snack/late dinner last night.

Ingredients:

• 1 12.5 oz. can of chicken breast (obviously leftover home cooked chicken is absolutely acceptable and probably better, but we’re talking about convenience food here)
• 2 scallions
• 1 rib of celery
• paprika
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• FF Miracle Whip (or whatever mayo type product you keep around the house)
• slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Open the chicken, drain well and dump into a medium sized bowl (Tupperware works well if you wont’ be eating all of it at once).
2. Finely dice the scallions and celery and add to the chicken.
3. Add Miracle Whip to taste (I used about 1/4 cup because I’m not a big mayo person).
4. Add a dash of paprika, a pinch of salt, and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
5. Serve with crackers or on the bread of your choice.  Also would be good on salad.
6. Sprinkle slivered almonds over the top.

Other variations:

• You could dry finely dicing some water chestnuts, grapes, apples, or any other high water content veggie (or fruit) you like to bump up the veggie and fiber content and help lower the calories further.  The aim is go with high water content, crunchy stuff.  You could, of course replace the scallions with some other onion or with shallots.  I like the pop of green the scallions add.  Shallots would be a nice mild flavor and a pretty pop f purple.
• The slivered almonds could be replaced with pecans or walnuts.
• For a little bit of heat, you could add just a LITTLE red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.   Too much would overwhelm the other flavors.

If you omit the bread or make it whole grain and leave out the fruit, this is a suitable Wave One food for Sonoma Diet or Phase 1 of South Beach Diet.