Couscous-Stuffed Peppers with Fresh Basil Sauce

 With red bell peppers 3/$1.00, we've been eating lot and lots of them. We made these on Sunday and they were awesome. It was a combination of sort of unexpected flavors, but we were pleasantly surprised. For Siena, I just gave her some of the filling and she ate it like a champ. Plus, it was a great excuse to use some of our basil that is taking over the garden!

Ingredients

Filling 

 

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 

2 tsp cumin   

3/4 cup whole wheat couscous  

1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained  

1/4 cup dried currants or cranberries 

1 packed cup chopped baby spinach leaves  

1/3-1/2 cup (approx. 4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling  

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper  

4 bell peppers ( I used red)hot water, as needed (I used chicken broth)

Sauce  

1 packed cup fresh basil leaves  

1/4-1/3 cup (about 4 ounces) creme fraiche ( I used sour cream)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon water

1-2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped  
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus a little zest! (about 1/2 a lemon)
1/4 teaspoon sugar  
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra, as needed  
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra, as needed

Directions

1. Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan bring the chicken broth and cumin to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover the pan until the couscous is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes. Put the couscous in a large bowl and add the beans, currants, spinach, feta and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until all the ingredients are combined. 

2. Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the ribs and seeds. If necessary, cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. Stuff the peppers with the filling and drizzle the tops with olive oil. Put the peppers in an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish. Fill the baking dish with 3/4-inch hot water or broth, cover with foil, and bake until the filling is golden and the peppers are cooked through, about 45-55 minutes, removing foil last 15 min or so .

3. While peppers are baking, in a food processor, blender, or with an immersion blender, combine the basil, sour cream, olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Remove the peppers from the oven and arrange on serving plates. Spoon the sauce around the peppers and serve. 

Serves 4 
*Right now, it was meatless, to make it truly vegetarian swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth

adapted slightly from Giada

"Spicy" Chicken & Black Bean Pasta

We've been enjoying this recipe for a while, but only this past time did Siena gobble it all up! I'm not sure if it is just taste buds maturing a bit, but every time she eats a meal completely unmodified I want to jump for joy. Really, I could go on and on about how happy this makes me- in fact, I'm sure I will as I post other recipes of food she willingly (and knowingly) eats.

 This makes a lot! I halved the original recipe and we still ate it for 2-3 days. The original is a little spicier (hence the name), but I'm wimpy so this ratio of spices seemed to work out pretty well.

1/2 lb whole wheat pasta, cooked al dente  (spaghetti & fettuccine work great)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (1 is plenty for our family)*
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2-4  oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 small Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil  over medium heat. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, and garlic. Saute until chicken is cooked through, but not browned. Remove chicken and set aside.

2 .Return skillet to heat. Add jalapenos, green onions, and red bell pepper; saute 3-4 minutes. Stir in black beans; heat about 3 minutes. Add feta and chicken, and heat thoroughly. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes. Toss pasta gently with sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

*I think this could easily be adapted to be vegetarian-just add spices when you saute jalapenos, onions, and pepper. I'd also consider increasing the black beans.

adapted from Lauren Loves Food

Zucchini Bread/Muffins

 A few weeks ago my mother-in-law went to farmers market deal where you pay $10 and get 60 lbs of veggies. Yes, that's right. She shared a lot with us: tomatoes, green bell peppers, tomatillos, and lots of zucchini. We successfully used all our veggies, and tripled this recipe to use all the zucchini. Our freezer is well stocked with muffins!

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup applesauce
2 cups grated zucchini
3 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups flour ( I used 1 cup whole wheat & 2 cups all-purpose)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour 2  9x5 or 2 muffin pans.

2. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, eggs, and applesauce. Beat well. Add vanilla and zucchini. In a separate bowl combine cinnamon, flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add optional chopped nuts.

3. Pour into prepared pans and bake loaves for 1 hour or muffins for 18-23 minutes (mine were done right at 20 min).

BBQ Chicken Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette

Welp, here we are with a full week in the 100s...and no relief in sight. We're trying to enjoy grilling while we can, and salads are such a good way to keep the kitchen cool. Here is a pretty basic BBQ chicken salad with a twist from a tasty vinaigrette. The funny thing is, we were already planning on having red potatoes on the side and when I found the recipe for the vinaigrette they also had the same side dish. Guess it's a good combo? Not the best picture, but I am finding I am less and less patient once it comes to dinner time :)

BBQ Chicken Salad

 chicken breasts, grilled with favorite barbeque sauce (plus a bit more to add after cutting up)
greens of choice (romaine, spinach, mixed greens, etc)
black beans, drained & rinsed
fresh corn (or frozen corn, thawed)
red onion, to taste
cucumber, diced
tomatoes, diced
cheese of choice
fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Avocado Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil
1/6 cup white wine vinegar
2 scallions
1 Tbsp. peach jam
1/2 medium ripe avocado
Salt and pepper to taste
 *makes enough dressing for 4 servings

To make salad, layer greens with remaining ingredients. Add a bit of dressing and toss. Garnish with cilantro.

dressing adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

White Bean Tomatillo Tacos

This dish was inspired from a need to use a lot of tomatillos and tomatoes.  The Hatch family loves bean burros from a restaurant in Phoenix called Don Jose. There are many Hatch traditions I've come to love... unfortunately Don Jose's isn't exactly my favorite tradition. (I was relieved to find out one of my brothers-in-law isn't a huge fan either!) I do appreciate that it is a family-run place, but not quite my first choice for eating out. When going to Don Jose's most family members order a 'bean burro'- refried beans with cheese in a tortilla. I won't claim this recipe to be close to the beloved Don Jose bean burro, but it got a stamp of approval from Nick and is I'm sure significantly healthier.

Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients

1 jalapeno

1 1/2 bunches of cilantro, no stems

12-15 fresh tomatillos, about 1 1/2 to 2 inch size, husked and cleaned

juice of 1 lime plus zest

1-2 tsp. of sugar, or other sweetener
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 of large onion

salt to taste

Directions

Boil the jalapeno in water. Cut off stem and add to blender with all other ingredients (I split it in half first and removed the seeds because I'm wimpy.)  Blend until almost smooth. Chill. 

Tacos

Ingredients

2 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
cumin, to taste
oregano, to taste
coriander, to taste
tortillas
shredded cheese
cucumbers, diced
tomatoes, diced
fresh spinach, roughly chopped
tomatillo salsa

1. In a medium saucepan, add rinsed beans with a bit of water- about 1/4 of the saucepan. Turn heat to medium-high and add cumin, oregano, coriander.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally til beans have thickened and have a texture almost like refried beans.


2. Cook or warm tortillas. Add beans, sprinkle with cheese and allow to melt. Garnish with cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach. Add tomatillo salsa and enjoy!

adapted from the Enlightened Homemaker

Poppy Seed Chicken Pitas, Now and Then

I made this to take for our picnic lunch at our ward activity a few weeks ago. I made this the night before and just kept finding things to add to enhance it. I think the original recipe is tasty (bottom picture), but this version offers a bit more in terms of veggies helping bulk it up without all of the bulk being meat. Nick and I were both going for the leftovers, the pregnant lady won. Thanks, Nicky Poo.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
drizzle of olive oil
1 lemon
1/2 tsp. thyme (just add it on as you like!)
kosher salt and fresh black pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt-- I used an entire 5.8 oz container
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1-2 stalk celery, chopped
1-2 red bell peppers, diced
1/4 cup onion, minced (red or white)- to taste
1/2 cup chopped pecans, almonds or walnuts, toasted (I used sliced almonds)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (can use tops of green onions)
2-3 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped (optional) OR dried cranberries
torn lettuce or spinach leaves, for serving
whole-wheat Pitas, halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Give the chicken a very light drizzle of olive oil. Squeeze half of the lemon over tops of chicken breasts in a baking pan. (To get the most lemon juice, leave at room temperature, heat for a few seconds in microwave and roll around before squeezing.) Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Cover with foil and bake until cooked through and juices run clear (170 degrees). Remove from oven and let cool.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the mayo, yogurt, juice of the other half of lemon, mustard, celery, bell pepper, onion, chives, parsley, poppy seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Add the apricots/cranberries and nuts if desired or save the nuts for sprinkling over top.

3. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones and skin, and toss with the dressing. Stuff a few lettuce leaves and some of the chicken salad into each pita. Sprinkle with nuts.

Makes 6-8 pitas

adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Creamy Spinach & Avocado Pasta

 I can't tell if it's just my pregnant state that makes my love affair with meals even better, or if I'm just on a lucky streak with new recipes lately. Usually there are a few duds between every successful recipe, but I've genuinely loved the past few recipes we've tried. I'd been wanting to try this recipe from Giada (which is essentially the same thing swapping arugula for spinach) but, saw this recipe recently and decided to try it first since we always have an abundance of spinach in our fridge. Truthfully, I was a little nervous because I do not especially like the taste of cooked spinach. I try to sneak in it meals here and there, but I very much prefer it raw. I told Nick that this would either be awesome or disgusting, luckily it was the former. Nick said his only complaint was, "That {I} didn't put more on {his} plate." Siena devoured hers and wanted seconds, even when I told her it was a spinach and avocado sauce. Since we each ate a hefty serving of spinach and I was too lazy, this pasta plus fresh pineapple was dinner. Needless to say, we did not have any left overs. We used basil from our garden and since we have spinach starting to grow as well, hopefully in a few more weeks we can try it again with our own bounty. {P.S. We just got lots of organic whole wheat spaghetti from Costco- it ends up being about $1.00/lb which is a pretty great price since normal Barilla is $1.00-$1.40 around here-the whole wheat varieties significantly more.} I've been waiting to go to the store and get another small Greek yogurt so we can enjoy this again! (It just so happens that the amount of yogurt I used in the Chicken burgers + this recipe = exactly one yogurt cup.)

Creamy Spinach & Avocado Pasta

Ingredients

6-8 ounces of pasta
2 Tbsp. butter (next time I'll try 1 Tbsp.)
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of salt, more to taste
3-4 big handfuls of spinach (about 8-10 oz)
fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into large chunks
1/2 cup grated fresh Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, reserving some of the pasta water.

2. While pasta is cooking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and the spinach to the saucepan (Yes, the pan will be full. Just stuff it all in.) Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the mixture cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the spinach is completely wilted. *Add some of the basil at this time, and save a bit for garnish at the end.

3. Add the yogurt, avocado, and 2-3 Tablespoons of reserved pasta water to the spinach mixture. Stir it a bit, then buzz it up with an immersion blender. (If you don't have one, transfer to a food processor or a blender. Blend well, and return sauce to the pot.) Stir in the cheese, and add more pasta water if it seems too thick.

4. If your pasta is still hot, simply toss the pasta and sauce together in a large serving bowl. If it's not, then combine the pasta and sauce in one of the pots (preferably the larger one) and cook over medium low until everything is hot. Add salt and pepper, to taste and serve with the remaining basil as well as a sprinkle of grated cheese.

from Perry's Plate