Stuffed Peppers With Quinoa, Feta & Summer Veggies

17 Jul

This weekend was filled with chicken sausages and potato salad.

This weekend was filled with a shared lunch at the Spotted Pig-the gargantuan burger with Roquefort cheese and shoestring fries, and the poached eggs with corned beef hash.

There was a cappuccino to be had at the new cafe around the corner from me, Kuro Kuma.

I wanted to squeeze in a meal at the new ramen joint nearby, Jin Ramen, but my belly just could not budge any further.

Sometimes you just have to sit back and indulge yourself. Hey, at least I was eating healthy breakfasts all weekend: I had oatmeal one day and a banana almond smoothie the next. With some plums and nectarines to fill in the gaps. So sweet and ripe, they tasted like honey!

I’m balancing things out today with loads of summer vegetables and a healthy bean and grain combo.

Holy smokes, people, do you know how good red bell peppers are for you?

Red bell peppers rank very high in Vitamin C content, with 140 mg of Vitamin C per 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper. That’s higher than orange juice (75mg per 3/4 cup), broccoli (50mg per 1/2 cup), and strawberries (50mg per 1/2 cup).

The red color in bell peppers comes from natural plant pigments in the carotenoid family (specifically lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin). Lycopene is a carotenoid and an antioxidant that helps the body reduce the risk for certain types of cancer, and heart disease, in addition to helping lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. It is also great for protecting the tissues in your body and strengthening your immune system.

I won’t get into any more technical terms, but red bell peppers and red tomatoes pack quite the punch. Not to mention how good zucchini and corn and onion are for you. And you can be sure that the ever touted holy grail of grains, quinoa, is a steal when it comes to your health.

Once upon a time I lived in a big cooperative-living house. 2 people would cook dinner five or six nights a week for the whole house (~60 people). Stuffed peppers was an ever popular dish that was guaranteed to please a hungry household. So versatile, you could fill these gems with any kind of grain/veg./protein combo and never get bored. I was drifting down memory lane tonight while enjoying my pepper, prepared my favorite way…

The feta cheese holds its shape nicely under the oven heat, but once you pop a cube in your mouth, it just melts on the tongue into salty savory bliss. And I love how the quinoa gets slightly crunchy on top after being in the oven. Ugh, so good.

Stuffed Peppers with quinoa, feta & summer veggies

adapted from SmittenKitchen

1 cup dry quinoa

bell peppers (I used 3 peppers, but still had some quinoa salad left over, which I was happy about)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 of a large onion, chopped

2 ears of corn, shaved off the cob

1-2 medium zucchini or summer squash

3 tablespoons tomato paste*** see note

1 cup halved cherry/grape tomatoes

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 oz of feta, chopped

seasonings: salt, pepper, dry oregano (maybe 1/2 teaspoon), fresh basil (to taste)

1. Rinse the quinoa. Add the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a small pot or saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it go for about 12-15 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked (should be light and fluffy with all of the water absorbed). Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Halve the bell peppers and take out the seeds and membrane (I like to keep the green stem for aesthetics). Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the pepper halves face up on the sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the peppers start to soften slightly. Take the peppers out of the oven and let them sit while you prepare the filling.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion, corn, and zucchini. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until the veggies start to soften slightly. Add some seasonings (salt, pepper, herbs) to taste.

4. Turn off the heat and add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and tomato paste to the veggie mixture. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa to the mix (save the remaining quinoa for another use i.e. muffins?!). Toss in the feta cheese.

5. Fill the pepper halves with heaping amounts of the quinoa mixture. It is ok to have some leftover mixture for nibbling on later in the week. Bake the filled peppers for another 15  minutes. Enjoy!

***Note: Don’t you just hate opening up a can of tomato paste only to use a mere few tablespoons worth? Me, too. A great tip from registered dietitian Jackie Newgent is to freeze leftover tomato paste (wrap it in a cylinder in saran) and slice it off as needed. Preventing waste in the kitchen. Love it!


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Potato Salad With Pickled Red Onion

14 Jul

Sure, I’m saving pennies in the kitchen with potatoes and eggs. But all spruced up in a nice bowl with fresh herbs and pickled red onion? Now we’re talkin’ haute cuisine.

Pickled red onions are showing up in nearly every restaurant these days. And it could not be easier to make them at home. Thin slices of red onion taking a dip in some apple cider vinegar and salt. Done.

I was having a tough time deciding whether to make the salt and vinegar potato salad from Tracy and Joy’s blogs or the classic all-American potato salad from Deb. So I combined the two. I’ve got the pickled onion and green beans AND the eggs with the creamy dressing.

Fresh basil and lots of cracked pepper.

With a grilled chicken apple sausage in a bun (grilled in the cast-iron skillet).

Someone ring the dinner bell!

Potato Salad With Pickled Red Onion

Adapted from SmittenKitchen

Makes about 4-6 servings

1 1/2 lbs red potatoes (I used about 4 large red potatoes); washed

3 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, chopped (see recipe below)

optional: 8-10 green beans (you could use celery, too)

1/3 cup mayonnaise ***NOTE: I used a ratio of about 1:2 parts nonfat plain yogurt to mayo

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

about 1 tablespoon basil, cut into ribbons (I did this to taste rather than measure)

salt and pepper, to taste

pickled red onion, to taste (see recipe below)

The first step is to get the pickled red onion started (see recipe below) because it takes about an hour before it is ready to use.

Next, get the potatoes boiling. If your potatoes are big, you can slice them in half for quicker cooking. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Check the potatoes after about 15 minutes of simmering (mine took about 30 minutes to be fully done). Insert a fork or sharp knife into a potato, if it meets just a bit of resistence, the potatoes are almost done cooking. If you are using green beans, place them in the water about 3-5 minutes before your potatoes are done cooking. Once everything is done, drain the water.

While the potatoes are simmering, you can prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo/yogurt mixture, the mustard, and the vinegar. I added a dash of salt and pepper here.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle but are still pretty warm, chop them up into bite-sized chunks. Chop the green beans into tiny rounds. Have your chopped hard-boiled eggs ready. Toss the potatoes and green beans together with the dressing. Add the eggs in. Add some basil ribbons and the pickled red onion. Finish with another few dashes of salt and pepper.

Quick Pickled Red Onion

From Shutterbean and JoytheBaker

1 red onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the onion slices, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Toss everything together and let the mix sit for about 1 hour at room temperature, stirring occasionally. That’s it.

You can store leftovers in an airtight tupperware container or jar in the refrigerator.

Hard Boiled Eggs

eggs

Place the eggs in a pot. Cover them completely with water. Place the pot on the stove and heat until the water comes to a boil. Once boiling, shut off the heat and cover the pot. Wait 10 minutes, then drain the water out and place the eggs in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking more.

Peel and go!

White Chocolate Sorbet (with a splash of amarula liqueur)

11 Jul

It can be tricky to keep chocolate around during the summer heat. It might melt and goop up, or it might bloom to an unappetizing texture and taste.

Cold, silky, frozen chocolate sorbet, on the other hand, is where the party’s at. This white chocolate sorbet is made with good-quality white chocolate, whole milk, just 1 tablespoon of sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a little shot of liqueur.

No egg yolks, no cream, and just a touch of sugar. After all, while we want to satisfy our sweet tooth, we don’t want to totally bust our belts…(never-mind that white chocolate is mostly made of cocoa fat).

I know there is a band of white-chocolate haters out there. If you’re not into it, maybe I can convince you to try this Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet. It might just blow your mind.

Since the majority of the sorbet’s flavor will come from the white chocolate, I would splurge and buy a hunk of high quality stuff. Most gourmet markets will carry the good stuff. I purchased my chocolate at Westside Market in NYC, but I know that Whole Foods carries good brands, too. I used Callebaut chocolate (Valrhona is another popular brand). Oh, and maybe it is the professional/restaurant pastry-mind in me, but we always buy a hunk and chop the chocolate ourselves (…but hey,don’t sweat it, I won’t tell anyone if you buy chips, no big deal, it all gets melted anyway).

I added slightly less than a shot of amarula to the sorbet base.  Amarula is a South African cream liqueur that (as per wikipedia, and I agree) tastes like a slightly fruity caramel. I love to drink amarula with (preferably crushed) ice and some coffee. Oh baby! You can recognize the bottle easily because of the big elephant on it.

In addition to the subtle flavor it lends to the sorbet, the alcohol is used for texture. Sorbet is not as rich as ice cream, and it can become quite firm after spending a night in the freezer. Alcohol does not freeze, so it will keep the texture of the sorbet nice and soft. David Lebovitz offers some helpful tips on his blog on how to keep homemade ice cream soft. And instead of amarula, you could use a light rum or a splash of amaretto…

White Chocolate Sorbet (with amarula liqueur)

from David Lebovitz, originally from Gale Gand

makes slightly less than 1 quart

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) whole milk

2/3 cup (160 ml) water

1 tablespoon sugar

2-3 tablespoons amarula liqueur (a little less than 1 shot)

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract)

8 ounces (225 gr) best-quality white chocolate (I used Callebaut brand), finely chopped

1. In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, water, sugar, vanilla, and amarula until it’s almost to a boil.

2. Remove from heat and add the pieces of white chocolate, whisking until they’re melted. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl set within a larger bowl of ice water. (If using a vanilla bean, rinse and air-dry it, and reserve it for another use.)

3. Stir the mixture until cool.

4. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

(Note: If you chill the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours, there’s likely to be a white chocolate disk hardened onto the surface of the mixture when you go to churn it, so it’s recommended to freeze it just after it’s been chilled over the ice bath.)

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Farmer’s Market-Inspired Tacos

22 Jun

It’s taco time!

Steamed corn tortillas, refried black beans, garlicky sauteed summer squash, blanched asparagus, fresh basil, cheesy shreds, salt n’ pepper.

There’s no better way to enjoy fresh summer vegetables.

I was inspired by the produce at the little farmer’s market near my apartment.

Not necessarily the traditional accouterment for tacos, but I went with my craving.

I’m a sucker for oven-roasted asparagus, but there was no way I was turning on the oven today, not in this 100 degree weather.

Instead, I boiled water in a large saucepan, salted the water, dropped the asparagus in for 3 minutes, took them out with tongs, and seasoned them with salt and pepper. All too easy and the result produced the most vibrant green asparagus I ever laid my eyes on.

Heavy on the garlic. That was my motto for the summer squash saute. I lightly fried the garlic in just a little oil, then added my thinly sliced squash to the pan, sautéing until browned. The trick is not to move things around too much in the pan. Only stir every 1-2 minutes or so.

Basil gets thinly sliced into a chiffonade (just roll the leaves and slice into thin ribbons) and added at the very end of cooking.

I purchased Thai basil, which has a more licorice/anise flavor profile versus the sweeter Italian basil. You can use either basil variety interchangeably. I was feeling experimental today so I went with Thai. Talk about fusion! Of course, you could always use cilantro or another herb of your choice in this dish.

Steaming tortillas is a cinch in the microwave.

Place two tortillas side by side on a large plate. Top with a damp paper towel. Place two more tortillas on top plus one more damp paper towel to cover everything. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute and you’ve got yourself steamed tortillas (enough for 2 servings= 2 corn tortillas per serving).

 Have you tried refried black beans yet? Tasty town. Out of the can and into a small pan to be heated with a little grated cheese on top. Protein power.

Taco assembly involves a hefty helping of beans spread onto a steamed tortilla. Topped with the summer squash saute, 2 or 3 asparagus spears, some extra grated cheese, and basil. Salt and pepper make my wheels turn. You can add some hot sauce or chili flakes if you wish.

Tacos in the summer are a must. Check out these charred corn and feta tacos that I made last summer.

Vegetarian tacos=rad.

Farmer’s Market-Inspired Tacos

1 bunch of asparagus

3 medium summer squash/zucchini

1 tablespoon oil (canola)

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

fresh basil, about 6-7 leaves picked

1 can refried black beans

about 1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice (I used sharp cheddar and smoked gouda)

corn tortillas

Snap the woody ends off of the asparagus. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Once the water boils, add some salt. Gently drop the asparagus into the water for 3 minutes. Take the asparagus out of the water with tongs, season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Dump out the excess water.

Halve and thinly slice the summer squash. In a pan (you can use the same pan as above so long as you dry it out), heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add the squash and saute until browned. Only stir every 1-2 minutes so that the squash can get nice and golden brown. Add the chili powder and some salt. Roll the basil leaves up and slice them into thin ribbons. Once the squash is nearly done cooking, stir in the basil leaves and turn off the heat.

To prepare the beans, open the can and place the contents into a small saucepan. Heat on low. Add about half of the grated cheese and stir into the beans until melty.

To steam the tortillas, place tortillas onto a plate with damp paper towels between each tortilla. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute or until soft and pliable.

To assemble the tacos, spread a hefty amount of beans onto a tortilla. Add some squash. Place 2 or 3 asparagus spears on top. Garnish with extra cheese, basil, salt, and pepper.

You’ve done well, my friends.

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Ample Hills Creamery, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

20 Jun

Ample Hills Creamery.

Located in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

You will probably have to wait in line. This will give you time to drool over the menu and decide what to order.

Ample Hills knows what’s up when it comes to a perfect mix-in to ice cream ratio: it’s all about the mix-ins.

I couldn’t have been happier with my flavor decision for the day:

Snappin’ (ginger ice cream with pieces of lemon snap cookies) + Salted Crack Caramel (salted butter caramel ice cream with pieces of “crack” cookies: saltines, butter, sugar, chocolate)

My throat was burning from the spicy ginger and the salty caramel, what an enchanting sensation!

My buddy, Natasha, let me have a taste of her ice cream choices, too:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Flake (smooth all-natural peanut butter ice cream with E. Guittard 55% semi-sweet chocolate flakes) + Sweet Cream n’ Cookies (sweet cream ice cream with pieces of all-natural Back to Nature sandwich cream cookies)

This ice cream parlor will make your day. No, it will make your week.

Hand-crafted fresh ice cream. Rich. Dense. Silky. And the staff is super friendly to boot.

I will definitely be back to try more flavors.

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