Couscous stuffed peppers

Source: SELF

This is so good, and used several items from last week's CSA box. The stuffing recipe made way more than 4 pepper-worth, so we just ate the rest as a side.

Ingredients

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
• 2/3 cup couscous
• 4 large bell peppers, mixed colors
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 6 oz zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
• 6 oz yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 1 cup)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350, and spray baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Boil broth, add couscous, remove from heat and cover

3. Cut the tops off peppers, and remove seeds and membranes. Boil peppers in a large pot for 5 minutes. Drain upside down. Place in baking dish.

4. Saute onions and squash with salt, oregano, and fennel seeds over medium heat until soft.

5. Remove onion / squash mixture from heat and stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, couscous, and feta cheese.

6. Fill peppers will couscous mixture, bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Zucchini Fritters

Source: Nigella Lawson, Cookstr

Sorry, no pics. Ate these too fast.

I substituted smoked gooda cheese for the feta. I know, smoked gooda doesn't resemble feta at all, but I love it and I had a huge chunk of it from Sam's club so I was going to use it, damn it! It was delicious and I make no apologies. This is a great use for zucchini and summer squash while it is in over-abbundance. BTW, these would make an awesome little appetizer if made bite-sized.

Ingredients

• 4 zucchini (approx. 1½ pounds)
• 5–6 scallions, finely chopped
• 9 ounces feta cheese
• small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• small bunch fresh mint, chopped, plus extra to sprinkle over at the end
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• scant 1 cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• olive oil for frying

Instructions

1. Grate the zucchini and spread out on paper towell to drain about 20 minutes

2. Mix herbs and cheese, add flour

3. Add egg to flour / herb / cheese mixture, and then mix in zucchini

4. Heat oil in pan, plop in zucchini mixture, and fry until golden brown

Veggie burritoes

Made these last night with some CSA produce and cilantro from my back porch. Yummy!

Filling ingredients

4 medium yellow squash, chopped

1 large white onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well

1 teaspoon cumin

salt to taste

Rice

1 cup long grain rice

salt

zest from one lime

Filling instructions

1. Saute squash and onion until just soft over medium heat

2. Add tomato, cumin and salt and cook about 2 or 3 minutes

3. Add black beans and heat through

Rice instructions

1. Cook according to instructions on package

2. After cooking, stir in lime zest

Assemble burrito on flour tortilla with rice, veggies, and top with guacamole and grated cheese.

Easy Guacamole

So I haven't posted in like, what? 6 months? It's alright. I lost my blogging mojo, but I imagine I'll come back from time to time at the very least to post a recipe.

I love guacamole as a topper to all things, and B who "didn't like avacados" when I met him is now obsessed with guacamole. I know, right? What kind of Mexican is he?

Anyway, this is easy, fast, and healthy. I like my guac chunky, so no purree-ing, just mixing.

Ingredients

2 ripe Haas avacadoes, chopped

1 tomatoe, chopped

1/4th red onion, diced fine

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

juice from one lime

salt to taste

Instructions

Mix and eat, silly

How to eat?

Chips, atop chicken or steak, in quesadillas or burritos

Grandma Bea's Nut Bread

One of the Christmas traditions on my mom's side of the family was the making of the nutbreads.  I don't know how many batches she makes in any given year, but she usually wraps them up and hands them out as gifts.  This year, I decided it was time for me to partake in this tradition.

I THINK this recipe was written, or at least adapted by my Grandmother.  It's not trivial, but it makes 8 loaves, so the work goes a long way.  One could serve these with dinner, as a dessert option, or for breakfast.  YUM.

Ingredients

Bread

6 EGG YOLKS (SAVE EGG WHITES FOR NUT FILLING)

1 WHOLE EGG

1 CUP (2 STICKS) MELTED UNSALTED  BUTTER

1 TABLESPOON MELTED SHORTENING

8 OZ. SOUR CREAM

3 PKG. DRY YEAST

1 CUP WARM MILK

1 CUP SUGAR

1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

6 TO 8 CUPS FLOUR

0.5 tsp salt

Filling

2 LB. GROUND WALNUTS

6 EGG WHITES

1/4 CUP HONEY

1 CUP SUGAR

1 CUP (2 STICKS) MELTED BUTTER

2 TEASPOON VANILLA

2 TEASPOON CINNAMON

0.25 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1.  Soften the yeast in the cup of warm milk.  Mix in cup of sugar

2.  Wisk together flour, baking powder, and salt

3.  Beat eggs

4.  Mix sour cream, melted butter, and shortening into eggs

5.  Mix yeast mixture into egg mixture

6.  Slowly encorporate dry ingredients into wet ingredients

7.  Allow dough to rise until doubled for about 1 hour

8.  Preheat oven to 350

9.  Grind nuts in food processor

10.  Mix filling ingredients in order listed

11.  Punch down dough

12.  divide dough into 8 portions

13.  Roll out each portion dough into 10 in. x 10 in. square

14.  Spread one eight filling over portion of dough

15.  Roll up like a jelly rolld

16.  Place rolls close together (not touching) on a greased baking sheet

17.  Poke holes in top of rolls with fork

18.  Bake 30 minutes at 350

Leek Asparagus Frittata

Fast.  Easy.  Relatively healthy.  Versatile.

Source:  Bon Apetite

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 12-ounce bunch thin asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup sliced stemmed shiitake mushrooms
8 large omega-3 eggs
1 cup diced Fontina cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat broiler

Melt butter in heavy broilerproof 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add leeks and sauté 4 minutes

Add asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, sprinkle lightly with salt, and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup Fontina cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl

Add egg mixture to skillet; fold gently to combine. Cook until almost set. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Fontina cheese and Parmesan cheese over

Broil until frittata is puffed and cheese begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. 

Cut into wedges and serve

Sage rubbed pork chops with cinnamon apples and stir-fried grated sweet potatoes

I know, it's been two months since I've had an entry.  Bad Natalie.  Fall was a whirlwind.  My busy September and October took their toll on my waistline and wallet.  I'm pretty sure that I put on 3 or 4 pounds, but refuse to step on a scale.  Additionally, Christmas with all of its expenses is quickly approaching which includes two plane tickets to Mexico City to visit the in-laws plus a live in house-sitter to take care of our two kujos and our 20 lb. attack-cat.  Cha-ching.  I promise to take lots of food pics and report from Mey-heee-koe.  And if any of you have any suggestions about where to eat in Mexico City, drop me a line. 

So, my point is that the next six weeks I vow to be cooking at home.  More specifically I vow to be making relatively healthy meals so that I don't look like a Baluga next to my beautiful, older, skinny, sisters-in-law.  

On the the recipes!

Pork Chop with Cinnamoin Apples

Source - Cooking Light

Now stop that internet!  Don't gag at the mention of cooking light.  True, some of their recipes are aweful, but there are some goodies in there.  

Ingredients

Dry Rubbed sage

salt

pepper

4 boneless pork loin chops

1 tsp butter

4 peeled sliced apples

1 Tblsp brown sugar

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

0.5 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1.  Season pork chops with salt and pepper, coat with sage

2.  Cook pork chops in large skillet

3.  Melt butter in skillet

4.  Add apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and a dash of salt

5.  Saute until just soft

6.  Serve apples atop pork chops

Grated stir-fried sweet potatoes

Source:  The Minimalist, NY Times

So I saw this idea for stir fried sweet potatoes one of Bittman's articles.  Love that guy.  This is my new favorite way to prep sweet potatoes.  I changed the seasoning because I didn't want to add more butter to my meal, and because I didn't want to over-do it with the sage (see recipe above).  So, I took his suggestion and just sprinkled with a bit of soy sauce.....SOOOOO GOOOOD.  The taters were all carmelized, and savory, and a little sweet.  Can't wait for my leftovers tonight.

My ingredients

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and grated

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt

1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Instruction

1.  Heat oil in large skillet

2.  Toss in taters, sprinkles with salt and soy sauce

3.  Stir occaisionally until done (maybe 5 minutes)