Slow Cooker Stuffed Sweet Peppers

I've been plagued with poison ivy this week and unfortunately haven't felt like going too crazy in the kitchen. But I'm a food addict, so I decided the slow cooker is my new bestie. It is tweakable, forgettable, and oh so forgiving. The produce drawer in my fridge is stuffed full this week, so it's Stuffed Peppers darlings. This can be done many different ways using different colored peppers, meats, and fillers. Try quinoa or brown rice in place of my go to Jasmine. I used ground turkey but you could use beef, chicken, or go meatless and load up on veggies such as zucchini or eggplant.  This recipe is low fat and can be as healthy as you want to make
it!

Stuffed Sweeties

Stuffed Sweeties

2 1/2 sweet peppers, seeded and halved (I used red and orange)
2 tbs olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
2 sliced green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 cup cooked rice
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1 10 oz can condensed tomato soup
1 10 oz can of water
parmesean or shredded cheddar cheese

Saute garlic, green onions and italian seasoning in oil til soft.  Add ground turkey and cook til no longer pink.  Add tomato with juice then rice, making sure to break up rice with spoon to mix evenly.  Sprinkle with soy sauce and mix until combined.  In slow cooker, place soup and water.  Arrance cut side up peppers on top and fill with meat/rice filling.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hrs.  Sprinkle with cheese before serving, covering with lid to melt.  I had a little extra filling and ate it for lunch the next day with some of the juice from the slow cooker on top. Yum!

Tweaked from Food.Com

Sushi At Home & Sesame Noodles

I've been threatening for some time to try my hand at making sushi at home.  No easy task I know! At least for now.  I have a Korean friend that makes it and informed me that "once I get the hang of it, it's easy"...um, ok.  I've heard that about mostly everything new I try.  She did say that the Sushi kits are a waste of money and to just buy the rolling mat.  So I did.  I found a recipe for Sushi rice here and bought Nori at my fave asian market (same store I purchase 25 lb bags of jasmine rice at a steal).  I know my first try isn't going to be pretty but will taste pretty fab. How can it not? I'm making a few different combos using crab stick, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, green onion,  and carrots. 

I didn't put the rice in the fridge to cool like some suggest.  I let it sit aside while I got the sesame noodles going. 

 I know my first try isn't going to be pretty but will taste pretty fab. How can it not? I'm making a few different combos using crab stick, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, green onion, and carrots. 

Not Too Shabby

I put the sushi rolls in the fridge to chill while I waited for hubs to get home then sliced right before serving.  Sliced right through them with no issues.

I'm pairing this with Sesame Noodles.  This is the second time I'm making the noodles and they really couldn't get any easier.  I use rice noodles (also purchased at the asian market) but you could use regular spaghetti noodles.  The whole wheat kind would hold up best.  This can be served warm or as a cold salad. 

Sesame Noodles

Sesame Noodles

1 lb rice noodles or whole wheat thin spaghetti
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tbs olive oil
5 tbs sesame oil
6 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs agave or sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
4 green onions, sliced
2 tsp sesame seeds

Cook noodles according to package directions and set aside.  In large pan, saute garlic in olive oil (careful not to burn) til soft.  Add sesame oil, soy, agave/sugar, and ginger and bring to boil.  If using sugar, make sure sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat.  Add noodles and toss to coat.  Continue until most liquid is absorbed.  Add green onions and sesame seeds.  Serve or chill.

Tweaked from All Recipes

Weeknight Chicken Cacciatore

As a young girl,  cacciatore (Italian for "hunter") was a staple in my house.  My father's background is predominantly Italian and my mother is from the Phillippines so we always had a great meal on the table no matter what night of the week it was.  Though the following recipe isn't my mother's cacciatore, it's still darn good for a quick weeknight meal.  Hubs and I had it over my fave jasmine rice but it's fantastic with pasta too.  Ma's recipe didn't use balsamic but she did use chicken pieces with skin on that were dredged in flour first to help thicken the dish. I made this using what I had in the fridge so you're not going to see mushrooms which are traditionally part of this dish also.  My measurements are estimates but you can totally tweak it to utilize what you have to work with or to make it gluten free! :)

Weeknight Chicken Cacciatore

Weeknight Chicken Cacciatore

3 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bitesize pieces
1 bag of frozen onion, red and green pepper mix ( but use fresh veggies if you got em!)
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbs fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Half jar of your fave marinara (about 12 ozs)

Sear the chicken in the oil and remove.  Add the butter to the pan and garlic, veggies, salt, pepper to the pan and cook about halfway.  Add the oregano, basil, vinegar and cook a few more minutes.  Add the sauce then the chicken.  Keep on med/med high heat (little bubble in the sauce) and until the chicken is cooked through.  I cooked mine about 20 more minutes but it will depend on the size of the chicken pieces.  Taste sauce and salt & pepper to taste.


Tweaked from a Family Recipe :)

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

I've fallen in love again...with cauliflower.  Not that I ever fell out of love with this cruciferous veggie or its more popular cousin, broccoli, but I am a woman and we are, well, fickle.  A half cup serving of either of these bad boys has almost half your daily required vitamin C.  Broccoli is high in Vitamin A (beta carotene), calcium, folic acid, and iron.  Cauliflower is high in potassium which helps reduce water retention.  Consume the morning after too much Chinese to help reduce that bloat.   I've been on a veggie and salad kick mostly because it has been so humid here in VA and I'm always down for a make ahead dish.  Here's an ultra fab recipe for Broccoli Cauliflower salad.  I've made many tweaks with the veggies and it's a great recipe for using up some of the produce in your drawer.  The dressing is sweet, tangy and can easily be doubled.  It works really well with the salty bacon/ham.  I've even left out the meat and used boiled eggs! Soooo good the next day!  Try it.  Tweak it.  Tell me about it below :)



Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Serves 8

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 head broccoli, diced

1/2 red, yellow, or orange sweet pepper, chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

2 green onions, chopped

2 small tomatoes, chopped or 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped, or 1 cup ham, cut into bite sized pieces

Dressing: 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tbs. cider vinegar, 2 tbs sugar

Mix all the veggies together in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl then pour over the veggies. Mix together and serve.

Tweaked from All Recipes