Stuffed Peppers and Potato Wedges

Hey Everyone!

Stuffed Peppers is one of my favorite recipes when I feel like changing it up with ground meat.  The recipe below is really easy as well as delicious. Feel free to sub with ground turkey rather than beef if you’d like.  It’s also delicious.  As you’ll see, I paired the peppers with potato wedges and a salad. I’ll show you how I make the Stuffed Peppers and potatoes.  I hope your mouth is watering when you’re done reading!

What you need for the Stuffed Peppers:

4  Bell Peppers (Whatever color you prefer, I used green)
1 – 2 lbs Ground Meat (Again, I used beef, but turkey is yummy as well)
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 cup water
2 cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Then, start by cutting the peppers in half. I usually just cut the tops off depending on the size to ensure a pretty decent portion for each pepper.  Discard the tops and seeds.  Steam these in the microwave until tender.  About 7 – 10 min.  Afterward, place them face down to drain the water.

Steamed Peppers

Next, brown the meat.  Mix in the rice, 1 can of tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Once mixed,  spoon even amounts into each pepper.

Mix remaining tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and cheese. Pour this on top.

Bake for 30 min at 350 degrees.  Once done, I typically sprinkle a little more cheese on the top for a finishing garnish… Mmmm.

For the potatoes, I usually cut red potatoes into wedges and sprinkle with salt, pepper, olive oil and basil.  Bake until tender and golden brown!  These will take a bit longer than the peppers, so be sure to start first.  I also like to flip them about 20 minutes in to ensure even browning.

And here’s the finished product.  I added a small salad to each plate for some greens.  So yummy.

Finished Stuffed Peppers, Potatoes and Salad

Hope you enjoy!

Sarah

Panko Crusted Salmon

 I made this meal last week for my husband and I.  I was so happy to see how easy it was to prepare, and how delicious it was to eat!  I told my husband he better not get used to eating such fancy meals!  Here are the recipes below:

Panko Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:
2/3 cup panko
2 tbsp. finely minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 (6-8 oz.) salmon fillets, skin on
2 tbsp. Curry Mustard
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  In a small bowl, combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated; set aside.
Place the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface.  Generously brush the top of each fillet with the mustard and then season with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet.  When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning to brown the skin.  Transfer the salmon to a greased pan and press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet to help the panko adhere.
Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon is almost cooked through and the panko is browned.  Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.

Asparagus with Tomatoes and Feta

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely minced
2-3 vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:
In a large skillet, lay the asparagus in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as you can get).  Add water just until the asparagus is covered.  Heat over medium-high heat until the water boils.  Reduce the heat and let simmer until the asparagus is tender.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat.  Sauté the shallot until tender, 3-4 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes, just to warm and wilt very slightly.  Once the asparagus is tender, remove from the heat and drain.  Remove the shallot-tomato mixture from the heat, stir in the feta, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place the warm asparagus on a serving platter (or individual plates) and top with the tomato-feta mixture.  Serve immediately.

I also made roasted potatoes, onion and garlic and added focaccia bread on the side. 

How did it go?

The meal was so easy to make, but took some time in my small kitchen.  I did adapt the salmon by substituting the dijon mustard for curry mustard my husband had just bought.  The curry mustard added a nice flavor to the salmon.  My salmon also did not have skin, so I only seared it in the hot pan for 2 minutes.

The asparagus was delicious topped with tomatoes, shallots and feta!  I was going to grill the asparagus but we were out of propane, so instead I followed this recipe exactly.  Next time I will grill the asparagus in foil with a little bit of olive oil drizzled over it.

I can’t wait to try both of these again!

Both recipes were found on: http://annies-eats.net/2011/04/13/panko-crusted-salmon/

Enjoy!

Melissa

Fried Catfish and Home Fries

It’s the Lenten season and in this household, Fridays mean fish.  My most favorite Friday fish food growing up was when my mom would fry catfish nuggets.  I bought some catfish and had some red potatoes laying around.  After Sarah’s post about home fries the other day, I asked her for her recipe.

Catfish Ingredients
-1.25 pounds of Catfish (fed 3 people)
-Oil
-Louisiana brand Fish Fry (no extra seasoning added)
-Flour
-One egg
-about 1 cup of milk
Home Fry Ingredients
-Red potatoes
-Tony Chachere’s Salt Free Seasoning
-Salt
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Procedure
For Fish:

Make sure your fish are cut into small enough nuggets. To prepare for the breading process, use one plate for about a cup of flour, a bowl for your egg and milk (whisked together), and one plate for the fish fry.  In a large, deep pot heat your oil till the fish floats when you drop it in.  I used my dutch oven for this process to help control the heat.  Rinse off the fish and roll it in flour, dip it in the egg mixture, then roll in the fish fry.  I piled the fish up on the edge of my plate while I finished dipping.

Once the fish is breaded, drop it in the hot oil.  It should float.  If it doesn’t float, it’ll absorb the oil rather than cook in it and then you have soggy, greasy fish.  A few of mine ended up like that.  I spread them out on a pan and put them in a heated oven to dry them out a bit.  As you scoop the freshly fried fish out, place them on a plate lined with a paper towel.  Let cool before trying.

For Home Fries:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  I cubed red potatoes into small pieces so they would cook faster.  I put them in a bowl, covered them in extra virgin olive oil, salt free Tony Chachere’s, and some salt and pepper.  I spread them out on a foil lined pan and put them in the preheated oven.  It probably took twenty minutes.  It depends on how soft you want them, how small the pieces are, etc.

Everything turned out delicious.  I had leftovers of both and reheated the catfish another day.  As for the home fries, I’ll get you a recipe for that soon!  It makes for a delicious piece in my breakfast puzzle!

Happy Eating!

-Amanda