Sweet stuffed peppers recipe

I'm a big fan of the standard stuffed pepper recipe - stuffed with meat, cheese, onion, tomato and the like.  I'm an even bigger fan of a sweeter side dish variety.  These mini sweet peppers are stuffed to the brim with goat cheese, corn, dried apricots and basil, and are a fun and delicious finger food!

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
3/4 cup sweet corn
2 Tablespoons basil, chopped
8 ounces soft goat cheese
12-18 mini sweet peppers

Directions

Wash and bake peppers on lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Place peppers on plate and allow to cool to room temperature.

While cooking, heat corn in frying pan until gently charred.

Combine diced apricots, corn, basil and goat cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Cut a slit in the side of each pepper and use a spoon to scrape out seeds with a spoon.

Fill each pepper with goat cheese mixture.

Return stuffed peppers to oven and bake until goat cheese is warm and soft.

They're quick and easy, and a great twist on your normal stuffed pepper!

Roasted Cabbage and Carrots

Last month, while we were in North Carolina visiting our families, Travis' mom made us one of the most yummy side dishes...cabbage and carrots with a splash of lemon and garlic.  You  need to try it.  Seriously.

This is on our regular rotation of meals now - it's healthy, cheep and delicious - perfect!




Ingredients

1/2 head of cabbage
6 oz shredded carrots
1.5-2 Tablespoons olive oil
Lemon juice (1 Tablespoon + extra)
Garlic powder
Salt

Directions

Chop cabbage, separate leaves and discard hard white pieces.

Place into a Pyrex dish with carrots.

Toss in olive oil, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, garlic powder and salt.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

Add another splash of lemon juice and serve!

You won't be disappointed!

Butter and Herb Potatoes

I love potatoes.  We don't eat them too often (unless it's a sweet potato), but when we do...oh my...there's not much better.  Agreed?

A few months ago, I had dinner with our friends Betsy and Pete, and they served some of the most delicious tri-colored potatoes ever.  I dreamed about these potatoes.  I knew I had to have them again, so this week I made them at my house.  These potatoes are soft, buttery, and perfectly seasoned.  This recipe serves 4 people...but you may want to double it.  There won't be any leftovers.  Trust me.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1.5 pounds tri-color potatoes
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon parsley
Salt

Directions

Wash and cut potatoes into bite-size pieces.  In a medium pot, boil in salted water until cooked through. Strain and transfer potatoes in a medium bowl.

Melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a small bowl.  Add garlic powder and parsley and a sprinkle of salt.  Then pour butter mixture over potatoes and mix gently until potatoes are coated.

Enjoy!

Garlic and Herb Mashed Cauliflower

Husband has never been a fan of cauliflower.  Ok..."not been a fan of" is being generous.  He hates it.  Every time he walks into the kitchen when I'm cooking it he turns up his nose and makes a face like he's sucking on a lemon.  So...of course I took this as a challenge to see if I can get him to enjoy it!  :)

My friend Arielle told me she made some mashed cauliflower one night last week, so I decided to give it a try.  It was a hit!  It's similar to mashed potatoes, creamy, and full of flavor.  The best part is that it's low in calories and only uses 4 ingredients.

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower
4 Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Light Wedges
Chives
1/2 Tablespoon salt

Directions

Wash and boil cauliflower.  Once tender, drain and put into a food processor, pulsing until smooth.  My head of cauliflower made about 3 cups once 'mashed'.  Transfer mashed cauliflower into a medium bowl.

Stir in 4 Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Light wedges and 1/2 Tablespoon salt.  Cut 6-8 pieces of fresh chives with scissors, and stir.  Then adjust accordingly to your taste!

A half cup serving is only 60 calories...so go ahead and have seconds.

Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce

Looking for an easy way to gussy up your cheese board this Christmas?  Give this baked brie recipe a try!  Chances are you'll have all (or most) of these ingredients on hand during the holidays, and it only takes 2 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes in the oven.

Ingredients

16 ounce round brie
Cranberry sauce (recipe below)
Walnuts (chopped)
Orange zest (optional)
Cinnamon (optional)

Directions

Unwrap your cheese and cut the top rind off with a serrated knife.  Place the cheese on a flat, oven-safe, surface.  (I used the bottom of a spring form pan.)

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with 1/2-3/4 cup cranberry sauce.  Then add chopped walnuts, orange zest, and cinnamon (all optional, depending on your taste).  Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

We served this with a smoked cheddar, Gruyere, and goat cheese.

While you can certainly use the cranberry sauce from a can for this, homemade cranberry sauce is even better (and really easy).  All you need is:

12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed OJ (2-3 oranges)

Put cranberries in pot and pour in sugar and OJ.

Cook on medium-low heat.  After a few minutes you'll start to hear the cranberries start to pop open!

Make sure to stir frequently as it's cooking so it doesn't stick.  Cook for another 8-10 minutes, as it starts to gel.

Then remove from heat.  Refrigerate (so it'll congeal) or serve warm.

Two Potato Wedge Recipes - Parmesan Crusted & Curry

After a weekend of staying outside in the brisk air, picking out pumpkins, and having the first bowl of chili of the season, it seemed only fitting that today would mark the first morning I've been cold getting into the car (42 degrees is "colder" in October than it is in February)!  Since fall is the season for roasted veggies, I thought I'd share a few recipes for Potato Wedges that Travis and I enjoy.  

It's nice to have different variations of the same side dish I can easily whip up, since I am the wimpiest of wimpy when it comes to spicy flavors and Travis loves them.  After much deliberation on the evening in question, we settled on Parmesan Crusted Potato Wedges and Curry Wedges to go with our Garlic and Herb chicken.

Curry Wedges

3 servings (5 wedges each)

2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed

2.5 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon salt

Parmesan Crusted Potato Wedges

3 servings (5 wedges each)

2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut potatoes in half length-wise.  Then cut each portion in half two more times, forming long, skinny triangles (aka...wedges).

Mix other ingredients (oil, spices) in a small dish. Put potato wedges in a gallon sized plastic bag and pour the oil/spice mixture on top, then seal and shake the bags to coat potatoes.  

For the Parmesan wedges, mix all ingredients except for the cheese, toss in bag, then add cheese and toss again.

Cover a cookie sheet with tinfoil and place wedges on sheet.  For Parmesan Wedges, spray with PAM first - they'll stick if you don't!  (The Curry Wedges do not require spray.)

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes or until fork tender, turning wedges halfway through.

Enjoy!