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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is such a great take on a basic taco.  Instead of stuffing a taco shell or tortilla, you stuff a pepper.  This was also a great way to clean out the pantry and refrigerator in preparation for our move.  I'm posting the original recipe below (with some minor changes), but I made several substitutions based on what I had on hand.  I used ground chicken, a can of great northern beans and whatever frozen corn was in the freezer.  Instead of salsa, I diced up a fresh tomato.  I topped the peppers with extra sharp white cheddar.  All in all, pretty tasty, and these reheat well.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

3 large bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 T coconut oil
1/2 lb ground meat
1 red onion, diced
2 c black beans (1 can)
1 1/2 c corn
taco seasoning
16 oz jar salsa
grated cheese

1) Steam peppers for 5-10 minutes, until softened.
2) In the meantime, brown the meat and onions in oil.
3) Add beans, corn, taco seasoning and water (following package directions for 1 lb of meat).
4) Stir in salsa; heat through.
5) Arrange pepper halves in a 9x13 pan; fill with taco meat.
6) Top with cheese; broil or bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Homemade Tortillas

I never imagined that making homemade tortillas would be so easy.  We have not used store bought tortillas in months now.  The first recipe I tried produced dry pita-like tortillas, but Diana's recipe turned out to be just what I was looking for - thin, soft and flexible. 

Be careful when adding the water in this recipe.  You may not need the same amount every time -- maybe it has something to do with the weather?  I also recommend rolling out the next tortilla while the previous one is cooking.  I tried the assembly line thing where I rolled them all out and then cooked them all with disastrous results.  The heat in the kitchen made them too warm and sticky and they were very difficult to handle.

Homemade Tortillas

2 c flour (optional: sub 1/2 c of whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
about 3/4 c warm water

1) Mix together all dry ingredients.
2) Add olive oil and some of the water; mix.
3) Continue adding water until the dough comes together but is still a bit sticky.
4) Knead for about 1 minute on a floured surface.
5) Divide the dough into 10 balls.
6) Roll out the first ball; try to get the dough as thin and circular as possible.
7) Cook in a hot skillet for 30-45 seconds on each side.
8) Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Corn, Rice & Bean Burritos

I don't know why it's taken so long to blog this recipe.  We've made it at least 4 times now, but last night's version was the best yet.  The mix was looking a little dry, so we added in a can of stewed tomatoes.  It added a ton of flavor and made the salsa unnecessary.  If you don't use the stewed tomatoes, I highly recommend preparing the rice with chicken broth.   

Corn, Rice & Bean Burritos

1 c fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 T coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 can black beans or the equivalent of prepared dry beans (about 2 c)
1 1/2 c cooked rice or quinoa (optional: prepare with chicken broth instead of water)
1 c chopped fresh or stewed tomatoes (optional)
flour tortillas
cheddar cheese, shredded
green onion, chopped
sour cream
salsa

1) In a large skillet, saute the corn, onion and peppers in oil until tender.
2) Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute longer.
3) Add the beans, rice and tomatoes; heat through.
4) Spoon onto tortillas; top with cheese, green onion, sour cream and salsa.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Granola

We've been enjoying this granola on top of our yogurt recently.  I've had some trouble figuring out the correct cooking temp and time, so use the below as a guideline but keep a close eye on your granola so it doesn't burn.  I accidentally bought salted sunflower seeds, so I've been leaving out the additional salt.

Granola

1 1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c chopped nuts
1/4 c unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 T wheat germ
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 T unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c pure maple syrup (honey would probably work too)
1/2 c dried fruits


1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2) Butter a cookie sheet.
3) In a medium bowl, combine oats, almonds, seeds, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt.
4) In a small bowl, combine butter and maple syrup.
5) Pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well.
6) Spread the mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
7) Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8) Break up any clumps while still warm.
9) Let cool; stir in dried fruits.
10) Store in airtight container.

Brown Sugared Carrots

So..I'm not a huge fan of carrots, so anything to make them taste better is appreciated.  I suppose the sugar in the recipe offsets some of the health benefit of eating carrots, but I'm not going to worry about that.  These make a nice side dish for a roast chicken.  I scaled the recipe way down since it's just the two of us, and I just eyeballed most of the ingredients.

Brown Sugared Carrots

2 T coconut oil
1 - 1 1/2 lbs carrots (with tops on, if available)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 T dark brown sugar
1 T molasses
1/2 - 1 c water
2 T butter

1) Cut off carrot tops and set aside; peel and quarter the carrots lengthwise.
2) Heat the oil in a large skillet (make sure that it's big enough for the carrots to fit in!).
3) Add the carrots to the skillet; season with salt and pepper; stir to coat all the carrots.
4) After the carrots have cooked for a few minutes, add the brown sugar and molasses.
5) Add a little water (to allow the carrots to steam) and stir occasionally.
6) Cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
7) Add more water as needed, but the sauce should be pretty thick and bubbly.
8) Once the carrots are fork tender, add the butter; stir until melted.
9) Remove the carrots to a serving dish and garnish with chopped carrot tops.