Favorite Pork and Vegetable Kebabs

April might be a little early to start thinking about grilling season. But if any of you are like we were when living in the Midwest, when there's a will, there's a way. We've even been known to scoop the snow off the top just in order to use ours (of course this wasn't in AZ!).

This is a kebab recipe that I've been making since before I was even blogging. In fact, I can distinctly remember the first time we made it because the weather was quite the opposite that night. We had tornado warnings rather than snow :) 

Crazy weather aside, let's talk about the food. The term "favorite" in this recipe comes from the original recipe, although I would certainly say this is on the top of our grilling list. There are quite a few steps in this recipe, but the end result is worth it. We have adapted it through the years in both ingredients and methods to match what works best for us, and you can certainly swap the vegetables for others that you prefer others. My only piece of advice would be not to leave out the pineapple! 

Break out the grill early this year, and try this out. Enjoy!  

(Printable Recipe)

Favorite Pork and Vegetable Kebabs 
The Cookin' Chemist Original

Ingredients:
6 small red potatoes, halved
1-1/4 cups canola oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. prepared mustard
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 medium ears sweet corn, cut into 2-inch wheels
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 large green or red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pkg. cherry tomatoes
1-1/2 cups cubed fresh pineapple (can use canned)
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
lg. foil roasting pan
skewers

Prepare rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until starting to soften, about 10-12 minutes (this will depend on the size of the potatoes). You do not want to cook them completely through as they will go on the grill later. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, parsley, pepper, and garlic. Pour half into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork. Pour the remaining marinade into another plastic bag, add the vegetables and pineapple. Seal both bags and turn to coat. Refrigerate and marinate for 1-2 hours. 

Drain and discard the marinade from the pork. Thread the pork pieces through skewers. Drain the vegetables, reserving a couple tablespoons of marinade. Place the vegetables in the foil roasting pan and add the reserved marinade from the vegetables. Heat the grill over medium heat. Place the entire pan of vegetables and the pork skewers on the grill. Grill until the pork has cooked through and the vegetables have softened. Serve over rice with some of the reserved liquid in the vegetable pan.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I don't feel like I need to speak to the beauties of the crockpot too much. A hot meal ready when you walk in the door? Not too many complaints there! 

While crockpots are wonderful dinner tools, one of the things I still struggle with is cooking times. Even on the best day, the crockpot is likely to be cooking whatever meal it contains for at least 10 hours. Yes, this has resulted in some over cooked meals... Because of this fact, one of the things I find myself using the crockpot for the most is soup. It is much harder to overcook soup (unless you run out of liquid - haven't done this yet...)

Like many other classic recipes, there are about a million variations of chicken tortilla soup. This adaption is based off a recipe from one of my co-workers that I adapted somewhat to our tastes. I left the chicken breasts whole to cook with the soup, shredded them, add added them back to the soup. Does not get easier than this! Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Adapted from Shannon

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed if frozen)
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen or fresh corn 
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1-2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 cup Black Bean and Corn salsa
1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
8 oz. corn tortilla chips
1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
light sour cream, garnish

Add ingredients through the salsa to the bowl of a crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove chicken breasts and shred. Add back to soup with cooked rice. Turn the crockpot to high to heat through, if needed.

Roughly crush the tortilla chips. Place in the bottom of each bowl. Spoon the soup over the chips. Top each bowl with Monterey jack cheese and sour cream if desired.  

Vegetable Gumbo

With tomorrow being Fat Tuesday, the calendar is telling me that it's Mardi Gras! I cannot believe that we are already approaching Lent. Where has the year gone? I have been to New Orleans a couple times - one while in high school and then again this past December for a pharmacy conference. It's quite the city, and for me at least, I think visiting during Mardi Gras is definitely on my Bucket List.

My trouble with much of the Cajun food is that I don't do seafood. It is just not my cup of tea. I can do spice, so I've always thought it was unfortunate that they couldn't just leave the shrimp, catfish, etc. out! Several weeks ago, one of my co-resdients ran across this recipe from the Food Network and brought it in for me. As a vegetarian gumbo mixed with greens and black-eyed peas, it certainly fits the bill of being seafood-free. 

After reading the reviews, I subbed a can of black-eyed peas for the frozen peas as many indicated that it took too long for the frozen peas to cook through. I also added a bit of a Cajun seasoning mix to kick up the spice factor. Our verdict - my husband beat me out in taking the leftovers for lunch. Guess it was a hit?!?  Enjoy and Happy Mardi Gras!

(Printable Recipes)

Vegetable Gumbo
Adapted from The Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. smoked paprika (preferably hot)
Cajun seasoning, to taste
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 lb. kale (or Swiss chard), stemmed and chopped
1 (14oz) can black-eyed peas
prepared brown rice for serving

Prepare rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, 3 tablespoons water, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and paprika and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in the vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, then cover and bring to a boil. Add the greens and black-eyed peas to the pot. Add Cajun seasoning to taste. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the rice.

SRC: Coconut Chicken Soup

Well, the Secret Recipe Club is back! After taking the month of January off, I am excited to be back with the group to start our February reveals. This month, my blog assignment was Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Camilla has a fun blog with a ton of different recipes with influences from all over the world. 

Since she has so many different recipes, I wanted to try something that was a little bit out of my typical comfort zone. I looked for awhile at this recipe for kadu bouranee, but as it is winter, I went with my cravings and chose this recipe for coconut chicken soup. In her post, Camilla mentions that this is a recipe that she just put together quickly from the things that she had in her kitchen. I certainly had to buy a couple things as this is actually the first time I have ever actually made anything with swiss chard. 

The recipe here is really more of a guide as Camilla does not list ingredients. I used all the ingredients she suggests, but varied amounts based on what I had and to taste. I'll list my approximate measurements below but feel free to add or vary ingredients as you prefer. For the two of us, there was plenty of soup for dinner and several days of lunch, and as most soups do, this seemed to get better and better after storing it. A hit here, and I certainly have a great new (to me) blog to check out for ethnic dishes! 

(Printable Recipe)

Coconut Chicken Soup
Adapted from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Ingredients: 
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup fennel bulb, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 whole carrots, peeled and sliced 
1 pkg. swiss chard, leaves removed from stems and torn
3 cups baby spinach, torn
1 (14.5oz) can light coconut milk
2 cups water
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 - 1 tsp. cardamom
3 Tbsp. lemon juice (or juice from 1 lemon)
2 cups brown rice, cooked
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Cook the brown rice according to package directions. Fluff and set aside. Boil water in a medium saucepan and add raw chicken. Boil until the chicken is cooked through. Shred with 2 forks or by mixing the hot chicken in the bowl of a stand mixer on low for about a minute. 

Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the fennel and garlic and saute until they begin to soften. Add the chicken, carrots, chard, spinach, cooked brown rice, coconut milk, water, and chicken broth. Season with spices, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the greens are wilted and the vegetables are cooked through. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Sweet Corn and Tomatoes

This is a meal that almost did not make it to completion. It was no fault of the recipe itself which comes from Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats. In fact, I really think it is a genius way to showcase some of summer's best produce, and ended up being a great meal in the end!

The fail in this recipe was entirely user error in cooking the rice. See, I have this great microwavable rice cooker from Pampered Chef that I always use to cook my brown rice. If you even cook brown rice, you know that you have to plan ahead a little bit because it is not a quick cooking process, even in the microwave. Well, I measured the rice, measured the water, started it and continued on with cooking the rest of the recipe. When it was time to add the rice, I pulled it out of the microwave only to discover that it was dry. Like dark brown, overcooked, crusty dry. I still have no idea what went wrong. I hate it when something you always do goes wrong and you have no idea why!

Luckily, I save dinner in a with some pearl couscous from the pantry so that we didn't have to wait forever for more rice to cook. The meal was great. Fresh and light. The flavors were spot on. In retrospect, I think it would have been a little better with the rice as the larger pieces of couscous seemed to compete with the corn and tomatoes, but hey, what can you do? Next time, I will cook the rice correctly, and this meal will be that much more delicious. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Sweet Corn and Tomatoes
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:
Lemon Dressing:
2 lemons, juiced
6 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/2 cup brown basmati rice, prepared according to package directions
1 cup sweet corn, cut off the cob
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk until combined. Marinate the chicken in about 6 tablespoons of the dressing for about 15-20 minutes. Set extra dressing aside. Grill the chicken on medium-high heat until cooked through and then set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the lemon dressing in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute corn and red onion for 3-4 minutes, or until onion is soft. Mix in cooked rice and remaining lemon dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir cherry tomatoes into corn and rice mixture, plate, the top with grilled chicken. 

Yield: 2 servings

Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry

We are back! If you noticed the absence of my posts last week, the hubby and I were able to get away to Antigua to jointly celebrate our anniversary and graduations (his was last year). We had a great time, and it was nice to spend some time relaxing! While we were away, summer definitely arrived in Arizona! Our temperatures have been north of 110 for the past two days, and even though I love baking, you couldn't pay me to turn my oven on today :)

Because I knew these hot days were coming, I was on the lookout this spring for great dinner recipes that wouldn't involve heating up the house. Anything involving only cooking pasta/grains for a short time on the stove, the slow cooker, or the grill was game. This recipe is originally from Salt and Paprika, although I followed Kristin's adaptions on Iowa Girl Eats. I love curries but don't make them at home very often, so I was excited to give this one a whirl.

The recipe came together great! If you follow Kristin's adaptations, you'll end up with enough "sauce" for two recipes which is a double bonus for busy days. The biggest struggle I had with this recipe was finding the Garam Marsala! With the recent popularity of Indian dishes, I feel like this mixture shouldn't be that hard to find, especially where we live. Nevertheless, we had to go to 3 different grocery stores before we finally found it in the bulk spices at the local market. If you also have trouble locating some, it is something that can be made at home too. My only change to Kristin's method was to increase the cornstarch mixture. My hubby has a thing for thicker sauces in dishes like this. He wants the sauce to coat the meat/veggies not sink into his rice, so I tend to go a little heavier on the cornstarch than is called for in most recipes. Completely personal preference.

I served this with basmati rice and whole wheat homemade naan (recipe to come soon), and it made for a great, non house-heating meal. I know I'm already looking forward to using the other half of the sauce currently living in our freezer! Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry
Originally from Salt and Paprika, adaptions from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:
1/2 large onion
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
2 garlic cloves
1 small can tomato paste
1 can (14.5 oz) light coconut milk
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. Garam Marsala
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into big chunks
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. cornstarch (May add more if desired. Just mix it in a little water before adding)
basmati rice, prepared according to package directions
naan, warmed

Place bell pepper and onion into a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add in garlic cloves, tomato paste, coconut milk, salt, curry powder, and Garam Marsala and process until smooth. Divide the sauce in half (for me, half was just a little less than 2 cups). Place half the sauce into a freezable container and freeze to make this dish again at another time. 

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Combine with the remaining sauce and cook in a crockpot on low for 4 hours. After 4 hours, dissolve water and cornstarch together and add to the crockpot. Keep the lid cracked and cook on high for another 10-15 minutes. You can also transfer the sauce to a saucepan and simmer on the stove top over medium heat for 3-5 minutes if desired.

Serve with prepared rice and naan. If desired, the naan can be warmed by wrapping in foil and placed in the oven on broil for a few minutes. Enjoy!

A Springy Casserole and The Secret Recipe Club

Last month as I was looking through the blogs, I noticed a couple people posting recipes from a group called The Secret Recipe Club. As members, you are assigned a blog, and your only requirement is to make one recipe from that blog some time during the month. We keep our "assigned blogs" secret until the post day where everyone reveals their blog and their chosen recipe at the same time. Fun right? I was in. 

My The Secret Recipe Club blog for May was Anne's Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy. I ended up spending the better part of an afternoon looking through her recipes, and I really like her philosophy - healthy and nutritious recipes do not need to be expensive or complicated! I actually had a really hard time settling on a recipe, but in the end I decided on her recipe for A Springy Casserole since it is a recipe that is different from what I would typically make. It is originally a recipe from about.com, but Anne definitely made it her own.

In her post, Anne mentions that this recipe is one that would adapt well to the inclusion of different vegetables. In fact, she made two versions - one with chopped red bell pepper, and another with shredded zucchini in place of the pepper. Red peppers are one of my favorite vegetables, so I decided to go with that version. Other swaps/changes include using Greek yogurt rather than plain yogurt, adding 1 cup chopped cooked broccoli, and including 2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard. 

Our verdict: Pretty good! The recipe made more that the two of us could eat in one sitting, and I think it got better as the flavors melded together the next day. I love that it is a great way to use up random leftovers that may be hanging around in your fridge. Not sure about anyone else, but I always seem to be one that ends up with way too much rice whenever we are using it for a recipe. This is definitely one to keep in mind for when that happens. I haven't tried it, but this recipe also seems like it would work well to make ahead and just pop in the oven when you were ready to cook dinner. Win, win all around. Thanks Anne for a great recipe, and it was really great to stumble across your blog! Be sure to check out our blog-hop to see which recipes everyone made! Enjoy!  

(Printable Recipe)

A Springy Casserole
Adapted from Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1-1/2 medium red bell peppers, chopped
1 cup frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, divided 
1-1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, broccoli, 1/4 cup of the broth, thyme, black pepper, and continue cooking until the bell pepper begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of broth, brown rice, Greek yogurt, and mustard. Add the chicken, remove from the heat, and stir until well combined. Stir in one-third of the mozzarella and the parsley. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through and the cheese has melted. 


 
 

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

Can anyone else believe that it is already May? While we aren't going to be able to go back to Nebraska for the ceremony, I graduate on Saturday. The culmination of 21 consecutive years of school. Wow! Besides graduations, May always brings thoughts of swim suits, flip flops, backyard parties. It's almost summer, and what better way to start the party a little early than indulging in a little bit of mexican food to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. 

We love Mexican food around here and typically do not need a reason to cook up some great southwestern meals. With a reason like Cinco de Mayo quickly approaching, I can guarantee that we'll find a way to work some spicy flavors into our diet :) While this recipe is technically Cuban-based rather than from Mexico, the flavors profile is quite similar. Beans, peppers, onions, garlic, cumin. Sound familiar? If you have never cooked your own black beans, please, please do it for this recipe. The beans make this dish. In fact, plan a couple recipes that week using black beans and cook a whole bunch at one time. They were also great in our black bean stuffed peppers. Cooking the beans does require some planning ahead, but do it. I promise you will not be disappointed!

While the end result is worth it, the process of making the dish takes a fair amount of work (as seems to be typical of Cook's Illustrated recipes). Unfortunately, I don't own a dish that can transfer from the stove-top to the oven. When it came to that step, I poured the mixture into an oven-safe baking dish, and it seemed to work just fine. Because of the long process, we ate this as a main dish rather than as a side, and it was definitely hardy enough to subsist on its own.  My husband had never had beans and rice in this manner and was a little skeptical when it appeared on our menu. After dinner, he was bargaining with me to assure that he could have the leftovers for his lunch. I guess it was a hit? Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Cuban Black Beans and Rice
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated March and April 2011

Ingredients:
table salt
1 cup dried black beans, rinsed and picked over
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 large green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 large onion, halved at equator and peeled, root end left intact
1 heat garlic, 5 medium cloves removed and pressed through a garlic press, remaining head halved at equator with skin left intact
2 bay leaves
1-1/2 cups long grain white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces diced pancetta, in 1/4-inch cubes (recipe calls for 6 ounces diced lean salt pork; I couldn't find it)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves)
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 medium scallions, sliced thin
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Dissolve 1-1/2 tablespoons salt in 2 quarts cold water in a large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.

In a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, stir together drained beans, broth, water, 1 pepper half, 1 onion half (with root end), halved garlic head, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce to low. Cook until beans are just soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard pepper, onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Drain beans in colander set over large bowl, reserving 2-1/2 cups bean cooking liquid (if you don't have enough add water to reach 2-1/2 cups). Do not wash out Dutch oven.

Adjust oven rack to medium position and preheat to 350 degrees. Place rice in a large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, about 1-1/2 minutes. Sake strainer vigorously to remove all excess water; set rice aside. Cut remaining peppers and onion into 2-inch pieces and process in food processor until broken into rough 1/4-inch pieces, about eight 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary; set vegetables aside. 

In now empty Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil and pancetta over medium-low heat; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and rendered, 15 to 20 minutes. Add chopped peppers and onion, oregano, and cumin. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat, about 30 seconds. 

Stir in beans, reserved bean cooking liquid, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Pour into an oven-safe dish if necessary, and cover and transfer to oven. Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let rest, uncovered, 5 minutes. Serve, passing scallion and lime wedges separately.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Black Beans and Corn

When I was looking through my pictures hanging out in my "to blog" folder yesterday, I realized that I have a lot more main dishes than baked goods in my queue. This surprised me a little because I typically consider myself more of a baker than a cook, but maybe I'm growing into cooking a little bit more. My husband surprised me yesterday by telling me that he thinks I'm a better cook than I give myself credit for, and I suppose he is right in a sense. I mean, we need to eat, but I suppose that we don't necessarily NEED the cookies, bars, and popcorn creations that I end up making =) I am a lot more comfortable cooking than I used to be, and our dinner plans for the past month since I've been back have been pretty solid.

Speaking of good dinners, these stuffed peppers definitely fit that bill. In fact, I think my husband has told me that these were awesome no less than 15 times since we've had them. It should be no surprise that the recipe originates from the editors of Cook's Illustrated in their book, The Best Light Recipe. I have not had a CI recipe fail me yet, but the one complaint I do have is that they seem to disregard where recipes land with respect to total fat, calories, sodium, etc. in a recipe. This book combines the CI taste and recipe testing with a healthy focus. Unfortunately, since it was a library find, I had to return it this week when someone else put in a request for it, but I am already looking forward to checking it out again!

When I was making these, I actually combined it with another CI recipe that I was making later in the week so that I could make the black beans for both recipes at the same time. The original pepper recipe in the book calls for a 14.5 ounce can of black beans. I am sure that canned black beans would work in a pinch, but I beg you to take the time to cook the dried beans as I am certain this is what took these peppers from good to phenomenal. Before these peppers, I had never used dried beans, and now I am going to have a hard time going back. It does take more time, but the results are worth it. One thing to note, the cook time on the beans is a little short since you will be cooking them longer in the oven. When I took my beans off the stove, they were soft enough to eat but not quite fully cooked. While al dente is a term reserved for pasta, that seems to be the appropriate description for these beans. I've looked up some other recipes for cooking black beans and cook times seem to range more in the 1-2 hour time frame, so you may want to keep that in mind if you are using them for a purpose where they should be fully cooked. Another thing that I wanted to note is that I had WAY more filling than ever would have fit into 4 peppers. I probably had enough filling for more like 6-7 peppers. We just saved the extra in the refrigerator and cooked up fresh peppers each time to enjoy the leftovers.

Either way with the beans, I would encourage you to make these peppers. I seem to have a thing with stuffed peppers as I have two other recipes here and here. They are all good, but if you are craving a taste of summer, give these a shot. Enjoy!

This is linked to Melt in Your Mouth Mondays

(Printable Recipe)

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Black Beans and Corn
Adapted from The Best Light Recipe by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Illustrated, March - April 2011

Ingredients:
For the beans:
salt
1 cup dry black beans, rinsed and picked over
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 large onion, halved at equator and peeled, root end left intact
1/2 head of garlic, halved at equator with skin left intact
2 bay leaves 

For the peppers:
salt
 4-6 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (6 oz each), 1/2-inch trimmed off tops, stemmed and seeded
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed and minced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
6 ounces Pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 1-1/4 cup)
1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
ground black pepper

Dissolve 1-1/2 tablespoons salt in 2 quarts cold water in a large bowl. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.

In a large Dutch oven or stockpot with a tight fitting lid, stir together drained beans, broth, water, pepper half, onion half with the root end, halved garlic head, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until beans are just soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard the pepper, onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Drain beans in colander.

For the peppers, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the bell peppers. Cook until the peppers just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peppers from the pot, drain off the excess water, and place the peppers cut-side up on paper towels. Return the water to a boil, stir in the rice, and boil unit tender, about 13 minutes. Drain the rice and transfer it to a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the oil, onion, jalapeno, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the onion is softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, and corn and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the rice. Stir in 1 cup Pepper jack cheese and the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the peppers cut-side up in a 9-inch square baking dish. Divide the filling evenly among the peppers, packing the filling lightly. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining shredded Pepper jack cheese. Bake until the filling is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

The filling mixture will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days. To prepare new peppers, boil the peppers for 3 minutes as directed. Fill with the extra filling and sprinkle with cheese if desired. Bake, as directed, for 30 minutes until the filling is hot. 

Yield: 4-6 servings 

Yellow Bell Peppers

Garlic Ginger Chicken

I have a few more sweet posts in the works, so I thought it might be time to mix them up with something more on the savory side. This was one of the first 3 recipes that my husband had lined up for me to make after I returned home. I have talked about his love for Chinese food on here before, but I am really not kidding. While we were in undergraduate college, we went to the Chinese buffet so often that the owners would ask him if he wanted them to make anything else for the buffet when we walked in the door. The guy loves his Chinese.

One of the things I like about making Chinese food at home is that you can make it so much healthier than you can get at a restaurant. The basis of the food is good for you - lean meats and vegetables served over rice. If you watch the sodium in your ingredients and don't fry your meat, you can have an easy, healthful meal.

The recipe for this chicken dish came from blogchef.net. There are tons of Chinese recipes on this site, and we've made several of them. It's definitely the first site I look at when the hubby is wanting Chinese. The original recipe for this dish calls for deep-frying the chicken. I tend to shy away from deep-frying anything at home for various reasons. The health part of it is a big factor, but I also just don't like to deal with a big pot of hot oil. I ended up following the recipe through the breading part and cooked the chicken in the wok in about a tablespoon of oil. Truthfully, this didn't work very well. Much of the breading ended up falling off the meat, so I just picked it out when I removed the chicken from the wok. I don't think this was a fault of the recipe as I imagine it would have worked much better in a pot of oil. Next time, I may try draining the marinated chicken and coating it lightly with cornstarch to give it just a little bit of crisp, but I'll write the recipe as written.

With the exception of the breading issues, this dish was great. It was different from the other Chinese dishes that we've had in that it doesn't rely on spice to flavor the sauce. In that manner, it would be great if you're needing a milder dish for children or adults who don't like a lot of heat in their food. I ended up adding a little cornstarch at the end to thicken the sauce, but this is more personal preference as my husband likes his sauces to be thicker. It has been awhile since we've made a Chinese dish, but I really feel like this is one of the better dishes I have tried at home. It's now on our ever-growing make-again list. Enjoy! 

(Printable Recipe)

Garlic Ginger Chicken
Adapted from blogchef.net

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 Tbsp. rice wine
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 egg
1/3 c. cornstarch
fryer oil or olive oil 
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 c. dry brown rice 

Sauce:
6 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
6 Tbsp. rice wine
3 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
1 bunch green onions, sliced (optional)

Add chicken bits to a large bowl. Add 4 Tbsp. rice wine and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. After the 30 minutes is up, add the egg and cornstarch to the chicken mixture if you are wanting to fry the chicken pieces. Stir and blend until the chicken pieces are coated with batter. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. Fry chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Alternatively, after the marinate, drain the liquid from the chicken and toss with just enough cornstarch to coat the chicken. Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir-fry the chicken pieces until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Set aside. Turn heat down to medium and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the wok. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add remaining soy sauce and rice wine, sugar, and chicken. Stir and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture at this time if desired to thicken the sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve.

Yield: 2-3 servings

Jack-o-lantern Stuffed Bell Peppers

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

I hope you are all having a great Halloween! I know these are a little late for anyone to really enjoy this year, but I thought they were way too cute to wait a whole year to post! The family I'm staying with in Nebraska has a 6-year old boy, so we enjoyed these for our Halloween feast tonight before he left to go trick-or-treating. The only thing that I'm a little disappointed about was the lack of orange bell peppers at the store today. Nevertheless, it's kind of fun to have a child around as a reason to be festive =)

I didn't really follow a recipe in making these. The basic idea for a jack-o-lantern came from a recipe I saw yesterday on allrecipes.com. However, I modified it because the filling in this recipe called for bread crumbs, and I was really looking for a rice-based filling. In the end, I ended up using pieces of recipes from Betty Crocker's Cookbook, epicurious, and Delicious Living. My end recipe isn't close to any of them, so I'm just going to call it my own. That's one thing I love about stuffed peppers. You can really change them up however you want, and you'll still end up with something delicious!

Keep these bookmarked for next year! I know that we had tons of fun with them tonight, and I'm definitely going to keep these in mind for future Halloween's at our house!

(Printable Recipe)

Jack-o-lantern Stuffed Bell Peppers
The Cookin' Chemist original

Ingredients:
6 bell peppers, orange or other colors (that will stand on their own)
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 c. chopped red onion
6 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. cooked rice, cooled
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. allspice
2-1/2 c. canned tomato sauce
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. 93% lean ground beef
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cook the rice according to package directions. Set aside. 

Cut of the top 1/2-inch of each bell pepper. Scoop the seeds from the cavities. Cut around the stem to save the edible top of the pepper. Discard the stems and chop the pepper tops. Using a small knife, cut jack-o-lantern faces into one side of each pepper. Add enough water to a large stockpot to cover all of the peppers; bring the water to a boil. Add the peppers and let simmer for 5 minutes to pre-cook the peppers. Carefully drain so as not to disturb the faces on the peppers and set the peppers in an 8x8-inch baking dish.

Heat the oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chopped bell pepper pieces, onion, garlic, and parsley for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until the meat is cooked through. 

While the meat is cooking, add the Worcestershire sauce to the tomato sauce and mix well. After the meat is cooked through, mix in 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, the paprika, the allspice, the salt and pepper, and the rice. Fill pepper cavities with the beef mixture. Pour remaining tomato sauce around the bottom of the peppers in the pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of each of the peppers and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve over the tomato sauce to make it look like it is coming out of the jack-o-lantern's mouth. Enjoy!

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

This is actually the 3rd time that we have made these wraps. The recipe was adapted from this one here at My Kitchen Cafe. The first time we made them my husband and I were looking for a quick chicken recipe to make for my in-laws right before Christmas. We wanted a quick, lighter meal since we knew the food coma that was coming with Christmas, and these definitely fit the bill.

The biggest change we made to the recipe was to use flatbread instead of tortillas. We are minorly obsessed with these FlatOut flatbreads that we found at an area grocery store and have been using them for everything from lunch wraps to thin pizza crusts. They are fairly low-calorie compared to the large tortillas and have a fair amount of fiber too.

This past time, we actually used the sun-dried tomato flavor, and it went really well with the flavors of these wraps. The flatbread is nice when you're making a wrap like this because it will not crack like a tortilla will.  It's just a little bit thicker than a tortilla would be, and this helps hold everything together. I'm sold on them anyway.

Try these wraps out. They also make a great meal when you only need to feed a couple people. Mix up the filling and keep it in the fridge. That way you can use it to only make the number of wraps you need. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
1 c. cooked brown minute rice
1 c. cooked, shredded chicken
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 c. shredded Monterrey jack or cheddar cheese
fat-free sour cream
6-8 flatbreads or burrito-sized flour tortillas

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over the flatbread, leaving 1/2-inch boarder around the edges. Dot with sour cream. Arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Fold end the ends of the flatbread and roll up the long way. 

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Spray pan with cooking spray. Arrange 2 wraps, seam side down, in the pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.

Wild Rice Cranberry Pecan Salad

This is going to have to be a relatively short post. It's starting to get late, and school starts back up tomorrow (sad day).

We first encountered a salad like this at a local deli and liked it so much that I started searching the web for similar recipes when we got back home. This is a little different than the one we had there. I'm pretty sure that the one at the deli did not have any citrus flavors, but they were quite good in this recipe. I've got one more recipe that we haven't yet tried, so I'll let you know which we preferred. I acutally found both of the recipes here on Simply Recipes. Enjoy!


Wild Rice Cranberry Pecan Salad
1 c. brown rice, wild rice mix (I totally cheated here and used a microwave package of Uncle Ben's)
2-1/3 c. water (see package)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. butter

1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped pecans (toasted or untoasted)
1/4 c. sliced green onions
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. grated orange peel
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Use the amount of water for the rice accroding to instructions on the rice package. For this brow rice, wild rice mix I used a ratio of 1 cup rice to 2-1/3 cups water. Bring rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, butter, and water to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 50 minutes. Do not stir. Do not uncover. Remove from stove and let sit, covered for 10 minutes. Tehn uncover, fluff up with a fork, and let cool to almost room temperature.

In a medium sized serving bowl, mix the rice, cranberries, pecans, and green onions together. In a separate jar, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, orange peel, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, mix dressing in with the rice mixture. Serve warm, chilled, or room temperature.

Orange Chicken and Veggies with Rice

I had had this recipe tagged in my March/April Simple and Delicious magazine for awhile. The basis of this recipe is really pretty good. I needed a good, quick recipe to make on a busy, school night for my husband and I, and this definately fit that bill. It can be on the table in the time it takes the rice to cook.
However, I did run into a little bit of trouble with the breading on the chicken. The recipe calls to coat the chicken pieces in cornstarch before cooking them to create a breading, but doesn't call for enough oil to actually "fry" them. Maybe it was me, but my cornstarch soaked up the oil and the chicken pieces stuck to the pan like crazy! I ended up having to scrape them off. Next time, I think I'll skip that step entirely. The dish doesn't need it.
Other than that, the dish was very good. I've seen a similar recipe that adds some honey and minced fresh ginger to the sauce, and I think that would really mature the flavor of the dish a little bit. I'll have to try it out.
Orange Chicken and Veggies with Rice
1-1/2 c. uncooked instant rice (I made my own brown rice separately)
1 Tbsp. plus 1/3 cup cornstarch, divided
1 c. orange juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-in cubes
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1-1/2 c. fresh carrots, sliced
1 c. chopped green pepper
½ c. chopped onion

Prepare rice. Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, orange juice, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and pepper; set aside.

Place remaining cornstarch in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 2 Tbsp. oil for 7-9 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, sauté carrots in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add green pepper and onion; sauté for 2-3 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Add chicken; heat through. Serve with rice.

Yield: 4 servings