Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Roasted Stuffed Poblano Pepper

I've actually been daydreaming about this recipe. I bought some poblano peppers and a dry wild rice/lentil/bean pilaf at the farmers market last week. I have been trying to think of my own stuffed peppers recipe. Here it is, my own recipe-
Ingredients
2 large poblano peppers
1 cup rice pilaf mix, cooked
4 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
handful of watercress, chopped
1/4 cup shredded cheddar and monterrey jack cheese
Salt + Pepper to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sauté the shrooms and watercress in a drizzle of evoo or cooking spray. 
3. In a small bowl, mix the pilaf, shrooms + watercress and cheese (I also drizzled some sriracha in there to add a little more spice).
4. Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the inside (take out all seeds).
5. Stuff the peppers with the pilaf mix. 
6. Place tops back on peppers and lay out on a baking sheet.
7. Roast for about 8 minutes at 400 degrees then set to broil for about 4-5 minutes, keeping a close eye. 


I accompanied the stuffed pepper with some roasted red and yukon potatoes. Roasting vegetables is one of easiest, tastiest and healthiest ways to incorporate veggies into your diet. In a large bowl, I tossed the chunks of potatoes with a drizzle of evoo, nutritional yeast, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, garlic salt and fresh basil from my herb garden. You roast them in the oven at 375-400 degrees for close to 30 minutes. You can do this with practically ANY vegetable.

Happy cooking everyone!
-Kat

Monday, February 18, 2013

Quick and easy Tabbouleh

I have to say I am a lucky woman. As a young girl my father exposed me to so many foods from so many different cultures. Can you believe that when I was 8 one of my favorite foods was tabbouleh? For my lunch today I made Tabbouleh with baked plantains. 
Ingredients
juice of 2 lemons, freshly squeezed
tomato, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 onion, diced
fresh curly parsley,finely chopped
fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup cooked couscous
apple cider vinegar
sea salt + black pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Only add a couple dashes of apple cider vinegar. I also added a LITTLE bit of water. This salad is so refreshing!
I sliced up some ripe plantains and preheated the oven to 350 degrees. With a brush, coat a baking sheet with olive oil and the tops of the plantain slices as you add them to the sheet. Sprinkle some garlic salt and pop them in the oven. After 5 minutes flip the plantains and leave in the oven for about 5 more minutes. 
And you have a meal! The fresh tabbouleh compliment the plantains well. Healthy and delicious!

Happy cooking!
-Kat 
  

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Spinach and feta stuffed portobello mushrooms

I've been wanting to make stuffed mushrooms ever since I ruined a recipe a couple years back. Tonight for dinner I made stuffed shrooms and a quinoa spaghetti w. sauteed asparagus, fresh basil  and spinach.
Ingredients
2 portobello mushroom caps
watercress, chopped
spinach, chopped
feta cheese
1/2 orange bell pepper (any color bell pepper will do), chopped
green onion, chopped
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup cooked couscous
1 egg white
Directions
1. Scoop out the brown gills of the two mushrooms. Sauté the brown gills in a drizzle of olive oil, with the bell pepper, spinach, watercress and green onion. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, adding salt, garlic salt + pepper.
2. In a large bowl, mix the sauteed veggies with the feta cheese, couscous, bread crumbs and egg white. 
3. Set oven to broil. Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray and place both mushroom caps on baking sheet. Take the stuffing mix and stuff the mushroom caps. 
4. Broil for about 10 minutes then leave in at oven at 350 degrees for another 5 minutes.
5. Serve with any side you choose!

Happy cooking!
-Kat