Ah, That's the Way, Uh-huh, Uh-huh

Stuffed Peppers with ground turkey

Served over barley cooked in garlicky stock and a light cucumber salad

I love stuffed peppers a hundred ways and I filled these with black beans, corn, ground turkey, tomato, cilantro and cheese and topped with Panko crumbs.  I lightly salt and pepper the insides of the peppers before stuffing, as well as add a painting of olive oil on the insides and that allows their true essence to shine through after roasting. I don't want a sauce to mask any of these textures.  The cheesy bite with the crunchy bits of Panko underneath and then slightly charred pieces of ground turkey when it hits the juicy tomatoes, that's what life is all about right there.  It's a celebration of mouth feels.

You can add the grain to the stuffing but this time I kept it out and served them on the bed of barley, which I prefer when there is time to cook them separately.   Cutting the peppers in half allows them to cook through faster and without needing a water bath.  This gives them a roasted flavor rather than a boiled one and locks in the juicy smoke flavor. 

Our neighbors have a newborn baby girl and we snuck little knit Jordan's on their shoe rack in the morning and then texted them to tell her to stop leaving her kicks in the hallway. 

Hillarious and adorable!

Another adorable thing is this thinly sliced cucumber salad with Vidalia onions, fresh dill, a touch of sugar, rice wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Let it set out for a good 1/2 an hour.  Simple, elegant and refreshing. 

Keep It Coming Love

My love affair with the Veggetti was going strong this week and without proper consideration I came home and went at this dish.  I made a quick roux with almond milk and whole wheat flour, nutmeg and garlic.  Added mushrooms and peas, onions and then heated through with the Veggetti.

So this day I was going for more of a creamy baked comfort feeling.  Next time I'll do it as a sophisticated lighter version.  Plus I bought the yellow summer squash with the big bulbs so they did not fit nicely into my veggetti.  I advise working with the skinny green kind instead for more perfectly long strands.

Sometimes I crave pasta so bad and I begin to rationalize reasons that I need this starch.  However, even I have to admit how much better I feel without it in my diet.  Thank goodness I have the Veggetti to save me on these days.  I hope the ideas keep coming.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized green zucchini made into 'pasta' with your Veggetti!
• garlic slivers
• onion chopped
• peas
• mushrooms
• almond milk
• olive oil
• can of tuna
• whole wheat flour
• parmesan shavings

That's the Way, Uh Huh Uh Huh I Like It

I dig browsing the dried goods aisle where they keep the beans, rices and grains. I know making a big pot of almost any bag of beans will be good but its hard to really want it. Hmmm, its not cold enough yet to just want a warm bowl of anything, so I tried the Yellow Split Peas. Figured it could be cool looking if nothing else. And it was! Also super luscious and velvety. I did homemade croutons for the top with Parmesan cheese. Kick it! I seasoned it with a ham bone and smoked turkey necks. I always add extra celery, carrots and onions because I like forward, brave flavors. I'm not a delicate cook, although I admire that too. Its not me though. I like a big burger with cheese and bacon but also pickle, tomato and onion. I like a good mayo ketchup blend on the bun but wouldn't kick you if you added mustard on the other side. I like a pizza with pepperoni and mushroom but give me sausage, onions and olives on that. I like an omelet with tomato and feta but hell while you're up, put me in some ham and diced bell peppers too. I don't want it all but certainly am a fan of the 'loaded' version of things. Like oatmeal cookies, I like raisins but also give me chocolate chips and nuts too - hey throw some toasted coconut in there. While you're at it give me a Seltzer but add some cranberry juice and squeeze in some fresh lime and a dash of orange juice. Yep, that's the way I like it.