January 17, 2012: Healthy Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

Last year I shared a Spicy Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe with you. This year, when I’m concerned with calories, I decided to redo that recipe and make it healthier. Here’s what I came up with which, by the way, my husband loved (and he’s not counting calories!).

Healthy Stuffed Bell Peppers

½ cup brown rice

4 medium-sized green bell peppers

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 T. red bell pepper, minced

1 clove garlic, minced (divided)

2 green onions, minced (divided)

1 ½ T. green chile, minced (divided)

1/3 cup canned corn, drained

½ t. each: oregano, garlic salt, paprika, dried parsley, black pepper, dried cilantro and cumin powder

1 can condensed cheese soup (divided)

¼ cup fat free half and half

In a saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups water to boil. Add half cup brown rice. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove the cap of the green peppers and clean out seeds and membranes inside. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each, if necessary, to make them stand up straight (good posture for peppers, ha!). Spray a baking pan with cooking spray and stand peppers within.

In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook ground chicken over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, half of the minced garlic, the white parts of the green onion, and half of the green chile. Sauté for another two minutes, until veggies are soft. Add corn, rice, seasonings and ¼ cup of the cheese soup. The rice should have a small amount of unabsorbed water in the bottom of the pan; if not add a tablespoon of water to mixture to chicken mixture to thin it a bit.

Stuff each pepper with one quarter of the chicken/rice mixture. Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour, until bell peppers are soft.

While the peppers are cooking, mix together remaining cheese soup, reserved vegetables and half and half. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through.

To serve, place one pepper on a plate and spoon a quarter of the warm cheese sauce over the top. Goes great with a hot bowl of soup or a crisp, fresh green salad.

Serves 4 with 349 calories, 11 grams of fat and 761.5 mg of sodium each serving.

November 27, 2011: Quick and Easy Southwestern Pizza Calzones Recipe

Have you tried any of the Kraft Cooking Crème? The basis is cream cheese, which is whipped up with various herbs and spices. So far I’ve tried the Garlic one and the Southwestern one. While they’re handy to use with pasta, I’ll warn you right now that a little can go a long way. I had a real dinner disaster one night when I decided to use the garlic crème, straight, to stuff enchiladas. They were so bad I had to throw most of the dish away.

But I persevered and tried using the crème again. This time I got the proportion right.

Southwestern Pizza Calzones

1 package refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 6-ounce package pepperoni (or half pound cooked, crumbled pork sausage)

2 t. olive oil

½ bell pepper, minced

8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T. diced green chiles (either freshly roasted or from a can)

½ container Kraft Cooking Crème, Southwestern flavor

4 ounces Colby Jack cheese, shredded

2 t. butter

Garlic salt or powder (optional)

Open the package of crescent rolls and carefully separate at perforations so you have four rectangles. On a floured surface, roll out the rectangles to a 6 inch square, pressing the diagonal seam together so the square doesn’t have any separations. Divide the pepperoni into fourths and place on half of each dough square.

Heat olive oil in a skillet to medium low. Add peppers and sauté for two minutes; add mushrooms and garlic and sauté for two more minutes, until vegetables are soft. Turn off heat and add green chile and cooking crème. Mix together.

Spoon one quarter of the crème mixture on top of the pepperoni. Top each with a quarter of the shredded cheese. Fold opposite side of dough over the filling to form a turnover. Press edges together. Place on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Melt butter and brush over the tops of each calzone. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt, if desired.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown and completely cooked through.

Serves 4

November 11, 2011: Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Who doesn’t love spaghetti? Spaghetti, with or without meatballs, is a old-time favorite with families everywhere. And what’s not to like? It’s a dish that’s filled with the good homey flavors of garlic and tomatoes, it’s an economical dish, and it’s easy to make a large quantity to feed lots of hungry diners.

Next time you make spaghetti, try making it in a pie plate or quiche pan instead of serving the usual way and see what your family thinks.

Spaghetti Pie

6 ounces spaghetti

2 T. butter

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried parsley

1 eggs, well beaten

1 cup cottage cheese (optional)

½ lb. lean ground beef

½ lb. pork sausage

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped Bell pepper

1 8-ounce can tomatoes, chopped

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 t. sugar

1 t. dried oregano

½ t. garlic salt

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Sir butter into hot spaghetti; add Parmesan cheese, parsley and eggs. Spread spaghetti mixture in bottom and up the sides of greased 10-inch pie plate or quiche pan to form crust. Spread cottage cheese, if using, over the top of the spaghetti crust.

In skillet, cook ground beef and pork sausage until browned. Drain; add onion and peppers and cook an additional two minutes, until vegetables are softened. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and spices; heat through.

Spread meat mixture over prepared spaghetti crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer, until cheese I s melted.

Serves 6

September 25, 2011: Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

I haven’t made stuffed bell peppers in ages but recently a friend of ours brought over some bell peppers picked fresh from his garden. They were just too tempting – and the best way to use up several at once was to make this recipe. Rather than resort to my mother’s recipes, I decided to give stuffed peppers a more modern twist by turning them into a Southwestern style entrée. Hope you like it!

Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 cup rice

1 cup coarsely chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. dried cilantro (or 2 t. fresh cilantro, chopped)

1 t. minced garlic

½ t. garlic salt

Salt and pepper to taste

4 jalapeno cheddar sausages

4 large or 6 small bell peppers

2 ounces Velveeta cheese

4 – 6 T. prepared salsa

2 T. ketchup

1/3 cup water

Cook rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, set a large of pot of water to boiling. Add the peppers and the tomatoes (about 2 medium). Remove the tomatoes after a minute with a slotted spoon. Immediately run under cold water and then remove the peels. Remove the seeds with your thumb and chop tomatoes into large chunks. After 5 minutes, remove the bell peppers and allow to cool. When cool, slice off the tops and remove the seeds and white membranes inside. If necessary, slice a small bit off the bottom of the peppers so they stand upright. Place the cleaned peppers in a greased baking dish.

When the rice is done, add the chopped tomatoes, green onion, Worcestershire, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper. If desired, you can also chop up any extra bits of bell pepper from the sliced off sections and add these, too. Thinly slice the sausages and add them to the rice mixture.

Fill the peppers with rice mixture and top with a slice of Velveeta cheese. Top each with a tablespoon of salsa, allowing it to drip over the sides. Mix the ketchup and water and add to bottom of baking dish.

Bake peppers uncovered in 375 degree oven for about half an hour, until the peppers are softened and the cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

Note: If you like more heat, add a couple tablespoons of chopped hot green chile or jalapenos to the rice mixture.

July 18, 2011: Tomato Salad Recipe

This is the time of year when we’re overrun with tomatoes from the garden and at the market. Plump and juicy, no matter the variety tomatoes are abundant.

I ended up with an excess of tomatoes recently because the ones I found at the farmer’s market were just too beautiful to pass up. But how to use them all up? Although my husband loves eating raw slices of them, I’m not that big a fan of raw tomatoes without any seasoning. So I made up this recipe to add a bit of different flavor and crunch.

Tomato Salad

1 large tomato, diced (about one cup)
5 small sweet peppers (red, yellow, or orange), thinly sliced
1 small red onion, (about half a cup), thinly sliced
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. olive oil
½ t. dried dill (or 1 t. fresh dill)
Black pepper and kosher salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Chill several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Tip: This salad goes great with a breakfast frittata or just about anything cooked on the grill. It's a light summer side perfect for dinner on a balmy night. 

July 13, 2011: Pineapple Salsa Recipe

With the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies at the farmer’s market right now, I came up with this recipe to use ingredients I had on hand. Feel free to alter or substitute the fruit and/or veggies to match what you’ve got available - mangoes are just as delicious as the pineapple in this recipe. Green onions, bell peppers, leeks and other herbs would be good to try, too.

This salsa goes great with pork and fish – especially tasty on fish tacos!

Pineapple Salsa

1 large garlic clove, minced
1 mini sweet pepper (orange or yellow or red), finely diced
1 T. minced white onion
1 chile in adobo sauce (from a can), finely minced (less if you don't like quite as much heat)
1 t. dried cilantro (or 2 t. minced fresh cilantro)
¼ to 1/3 cup chopped fresh pineapple
½ t. kosher salt
1 lime

Combine all ingredients except lime in small bowl. Halve lime and squeeze juice over salsa. Let sit at room temperature for at least half an hour before serving or refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld.

Makes about ½ cup of salsa.

July 8, 2011: Grilled Potato Salad

Wow! What happened to Blogger? New changes caused me to miss a couple days of posting so I'm sorry if you were looking forward to a new one that didn't appear! Why fix what isn't broken? Oh well, I've got to get used to the new format, I reckon. So... getting back on track...

Although my favorite type of potato salad is the traditional, mayo-sauced version with that yellow tinge, every now and then I break out of the mold and convince my family to try something new. This is one of those recipes.

I happened to have some of the corn salad recipe leftover from the previous night’s meal, so I simply used that in place of the corn.

Grilled Potato Salad

2 pounds red potatoes, cleaned and quartered
3 T. olive oil
½ t. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can corn or 3 ears of fresh corn, shucked
2 T. jarred, diced pimiento
2 T. minced yellow or orange bell pepper
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 t. garlic salt
½ t. paprika
1 T. fresh or freeze dried cilantro, minced

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss together potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a 13 x 9” baking dish. Roast for 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Cut into 1 ½” chunks.

Mix together remaining ingredients. Add cut potatoes.

Serve warm.

June 13, 2011: Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

Here’s a filling pasta salad (don’t even try to count the calories!) that pairs wonderfully with grilled fish, chicken, or hamburgers. Serve it on a bed of greens for extra nutrition and garnish with croutons, if desired.

I used radishes instead of red onion in this pasta salad.

Italian Pasta Salad

1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. Italian seasoning or finely chopped fresh basil
1 t. sugar
½ pound bowtie (farfalle) pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained and cooled
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), roasted, peeled, and diced*
2 thin slices red onion, minced

Combine sauce ingredients (mayo through sugar) and mix thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

*To roast the pepper, cut in half and remove seeds and veins. Coat skin sides with olive oil. Place both halves directly over flames on a grill, skin side down, until skin is completely charred. Remove from grill and place in a plastic bag. Let “sweat” for a few minutes, then take each piece out of the bag, one at a time, and remove peel. The peel should come off easily.

June 11, 2011: Balsamic Caramelized Onions, Peppers, and Mushrooms Recipe

This recipe is a really versatile one – it lends flavor, color and a dash of that “something extra” to nearly any main dish. I used this combination of caramelized veggies on top of the balsamic marinated sirloin steak sandwiches I shared with you yesterday.

Balsamic Caramelized Onions, Peppers, and Mushrooms

1 small white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 T. olive oil
½ bell pepper (color of your choice), thinly sliced
5 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add onions and stir frequently, cooking just until golden. Reduce heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, cook until softened. Add mushrooms, cook a few more minutes, just until the mushrooms begin to release liquid.

Add the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Continue to cook until almost all of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Tip: This topping is great served over meat, pierogis, fajitas, or fried potatoes.