Stuffed Peppers, Version 2.0

Okay, so I know I've posted a stuffed pepper recipe here before... but this latest version was so great I just had to write it up! While this one isn't vegetarian, it could easily be made so by simply omitting the chicken. You could swap in another protein substitute, but honestly, it's a pretty hearty filling and you don't really need it, especially since it's made with quinoa which is already a source of complete protein. The other main difference with this recipe is that I set the oven to a slightly higher temperature this time... and I can't even say why I did that, other than I felt like it. Besides, what's 25 degrees between friends, right?

Stuffed Peppers, Version 2.0

just as good leftover as straight from the oven

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 lb. ground chicken breast
dried herbs of choice (I used onion & garlic powder, basil and thyme)
salt & pepper to taste
1 box of Near East Quinoa Blend Roasted Red Pepper & Basil (yes, I took help from the store and used a pre-packaged mix)
3 Tbs. goat cheese, crumbled
1 (15-ounce) can of tomato sauce
2 Tbs. fresh basil, shredded, divided
3 bell peppers, sliced in half, seeds and ribs removed (I used red, orange, and yellow)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Over medium heat, cook the ground chicken and dried herbs in 1 Tbs. olive oil until cooked through and slightly browned, about 7-9 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, prepare the quinoa according to package directions.

Combine the chicken, quinoa, and goat cheese before stirring in 1 Tbs. of the fresh basil.

Pour 1/2 of the tomato sauce and the remaining basil in a glass baking dish just large enough to fit the 6 pepper halves. Fill each of the pepper halves with a heaping mound of the stuffing mixture and place into the baking dish. Drizzle the remaining tomato sauce over the top of the stuffed peppers, drizzle on another Tbs. of olive oil, and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until the tops of the peppers are lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

I think I've mentioned before that I grew up in a household where my mother was home every night and had dinner on the table for the family promptly when dad got home from work. Usually that dinner consisted of good ol' budget-friendly American classics and- at the time, unfortunately for me- that included stuffed peppers.

I hated those nights!

Why, you ask? Well, when my mother made stuffed peppers, it was always the same recipe: green peppers stuffed with a mixture of ground beef and white rice, baked in/topped with tomato sauce. First of all, I despise green peppers. It's only been in recent years that I've been able to use them in my own recipes, mainly as a base flavor component rather than as a main ingredient. Pretty much, when I cook with bell peppers I prefer to use the sweeter and more mellow red, yellow, and orange ones as opposed to the sharper green ones. Also, I'm not a big fan of white rice, generally preferring to use brown rice. The ground beef I could've lived with... if it hadn't been so damn greasy. *shudder* And what could I possibly find objectionable about tomato sauce? Eh. It was always straight up tomato sauce, no spices or herbs added. Actually, come to think of it, I'm fairly certain salt and pepper were the ONLY seasoning added to the entire dish. Really, can you blame me for not being a fan?

So don't think I don't see the irony in the fact that stuffed peppers make a fairly regular appearance on my dinner table some 25 years later (albeit not quite as often as back in the day)... but rest assured that I enjoy the hell out of the seemingly endless variations that do appear these days!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 yellow squash, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried basil
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup orzo
1 Tbs. parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbs. goat cheese
2 bell peppers, halved (I used yellow and orange)
1 cup of marinara (plus a couple of halved cherry tomatoes)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the vegs and spices in olive oil until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the stock and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil before adding the orzo and reducing the heat once more to medium. Cook the orzo and vegs until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan and goat cheese.

Meanwhile, pour the marinara on the bottom of an 8"x8"glass baking dish and nestle the pepper halves down into it. Fill the peppers with the orzo and veg mixture, drizzle on some olive oil, then cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees until the peppers are tender, about 35-45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or until the orzo is lightly browned.

Enjoy!

(Sunday being my only day off this week, I did a bunch of prep work in the kitchen so I could get ahead of my weekday meals. In this case, as I put together the Italian Tortellini Soup I set aside some of the diced vegs used in THAT dish to go into THIS one. Work smarter, not harder... right?)

Easy Tamale Pie

Yet another no-recipe recipe, make as little or as much as you want. (I made enough to fill an 8"square baking dish for 4 generous portions.)

Easy Tamale Pie

Ingredients:
olive oil
onion, diced
bell pepper, diced
ground cumin
chili powder
paprika
salt & pepper, to taste
diced tomatoes with green chilies or jalapenos (salsa would work here too)
beans, drained and rinsed (red kidney, black, pinto- dealer's choice)
cooked, shredded chicken (omit for vegetarian)
corn (frozen or canned, whatever you've got on hand)
shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack- again, whatever you've got on hand)

1 (8.5 ounce) box of cornbread mix
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the onions and peppers in olive oil with all spices until slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes (and/or salsa), beans, and chicken and simmer for another 5-7 minutes before adding the corn.

Meanwhile, make the cornbread topping according to box instructions by combining the egg and milk with the cornmeal until it just comes together, being careful not to over mix.

To construct the tamale pie, pour the bean mixture into your baking dish of choice (I used an 8" square glass dish), top with a layer of shredded cheese, then spoon on the cornbread mixture before spreading it out in a single layer. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown on top.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Tacos

Okay. I admit it: Tacos are one of the few foods that I will occasionally "cheat" and use the box dinner kits that include those crunchy taco shells and a spice packet. So what? They're tasty and still better than the fast-food version you get through the late night drive thru because I can make them with ground turkey, chicken, or tofu and top them however I want. That being said, for the most part I make tacos from scratch and the quickest of the variations I like to make are these black bean tacos because all the ingredients come straight from the pantry and my freezer.

Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup of onion, diced (yes, I have diced onions in my freezer)
1/4 cup of red/yellow/green bell pepper, diced (again, I keep a bag of peppers in my freezer)
1/4 cup of salsa or tomatoes, diced (I had leftover diced tomatoes with jalapenos in the fridge from a can opened earlier in the week)
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
splash of water (veggie stock or tomato juice works well here)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika (sweet or smoked, whatever you have on hand)
1/4 cup sweet corn (yes, from the freezer again)
salt & pepper to taste
splash of lime juice
soft flour tortillas (I prefer the smaller taco size, but these can just as easily be made into larger burritos)

Directions:
Cook the onion, peppers, and tomatoes in olive oil over medium-low heat until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the beans, splash of water, and all spices. Using a fork, lightly mash some of the beans to release their starch, leaving most of the beans whole. Simmer until the beans are warmed through and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 3-5 minutes, before adding in the corn. Finish with a squirt of lime juice and build your tacos however you want. Today, I kept things simple and just spread a smear of sour cream on the tortilla, added a sprinkle of shredded Mexican cheese, and topped it with the bean mixture.

Enjoy!