Stuffed Pepper Soup

We received a pepper plant courtesy of Matt's parents, which was peppered with banana peppers so we picked them, but didn't pickle them.  Instead, we made Stuffed Pepper Soup!  I find this much easier than actually stuffing the peppers - also, it last longer and is perfect for cool Fall Sundays and the remaining week of lunches!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

2.5 lbs Ground Turkey or Beef

2 Green Peppers (chopped small)

1 Yellow Onion (chopped small)

10 Fresh Banana Peppers (chopped small)

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp granulated garlic

2 Tbsp Season Salt

1 Tbsp black pepper

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 jar whole Tomatoes (quart jar)

2 jars tomato juice (quart)

Pinch of fennel seed

Pinch of caraway seed

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne (optional)
4-5 bay leaves

(1/8 of a pinch or ½ of a sprinkle of cinnamon – pretty much the least amount you can manage to get in there, but still get some in there… it does enhance the flavor, but if you can actually taste it, it’s too much… I struggle with explaining this one – you can use nutmeg instead because it has a less pungent flavor)

Also – you can use a bit of ground sausage (or all sausage and no ground meat) instead of using the fennel/caraway.  I didn’t have any sausage, but do kind of like the flavorings, so I just used those spices. 

Cook meat, add ½ spices* to meat.

Add veggies, add remaining half of spices, cook until soft.  

Add tomato ingredients. 

(*Add cinnamon after tomatoes so it gets distributed properly. )

Let simmer until broth thickens up.

You can add rice to this is you like or spoon it over rice.  And mozzarella cheese on top is pretty good as well!  We used Miracle Rice - our newest Miracle Noodle discovery.  Fabulous and carb-free!!

Happy Souping!

Disclaimer:  All ingredients based on memory and are subject to most certain inaccuracies.  Proceed with caution!

Make Light of the Peanut Sauce Over Spaghetti Squash and Other Yummy Bites

This meal turned into a smorgasbord.  I had a lot of ideas and a lot of food that needed to be used...and the result was Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce, Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts, Zucchini Pizzas, and Sesame Ginger Cod.  Just a few of my favorite things. 

I must say that it was a hard choice as to what we liked the most, because it was all so very good - but in the end (while licking the peanut sauce off the plate...) we decided the peanut sauce was surely the best of the best.  I have a feeling like I'll be making that again verrrrrry soon. 

Zucchini Pizzas

These turned out absolutely delicious - and much more like pizza than I was imagining they would be...

1 large Zucchini, cut into rounds, approximately 3/4" thick, with the centers scooped out just a bit with a grapefruit spoon (or knife) to give the sauce a boat to sit in...be careful not to poke through the bottom. 
Pizza Sauce (or marinara)
Mozzarella

Feta (we used fat-free from Sam's)
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Parsley, chopped
Pepperoni (we used turkey, but whatever kind you like is fine!)
Parmesan

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a pan with cooking spray, as well as all of the zucchini rounds.  Season with garlic powder. Spoon sauce into the rounds.  Top in order with the ingredients above - or whatever ingredients you so choose!  We just kept it simple.  Bake until the cheese starts to brown and your pepperonis are crispy!

Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts

These are three of Matt's favorite things...four, if you count the roasted part.

1 head Cauliflower - cut into slices so there are flat pieces - you won't use the whole head.
2 cups Brussels Sprouts - cut into slices
1/4 cup Curry Powder
1 tsp Coriander
1 tbsp Salt
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
Cooking Spray

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place sliced vegetables in a bowl, coat with cooking spray.  Add seasonings a little at a time and mix together thoroughly.  Cover pan with foil, spray with cooking spray.  Place a single layer of vegetables on the pan, not too close together or they'll steam, not roast.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes, turn vegetables, bake another 10 minutes until crispy/browned.  Eat up!  Time is approximate - just keep an eye on them.  I really have no idea how long it was.  Note:  These are fabulous with Peanut Sauce.

Peanut Sauce is one of those things that you can't help but love.  Each time I eat it though, the calorie register is going cha-ching, cha-ching in my head (of course it is simply a background noise to my "mmming" over how delicious it is).  This recipe lightens it up and allows less use of peanut butter without the sacrifice of the peanut butter taste!

Lighten It Up Peanut Butter Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

Yet another recipe reinventing the massive amounts of spaghetti squash that we have (I think we counted 14 remaining last weekend). 

First off - this recipe requires the use of a pre-made Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup (originally found at Big Lots, but we will be reordering via Amazon) as shown below:

If you don't want to order this, you could probably use light coconut milk as a replacement, though you would have to use more peanut butter.  They also make powdered peanut butter - which I'm going to look into as a replacement for high-calorie peanut butter.

Spaghetti Squash (or fish or vegetables or just a bowl) to put the sauce over.
1 cup Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 tbsp Splenda
1 tsp Honey
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
3 dashes of Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Cilantro (chopped)
1 tbsp Ginger (grated)
1 tbsp Garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp Lemon Grass - we found this lemongrass paste at Walmart - the BEST and so completely convenient.
1 tsp Lime Juice

I let the soup and peanut butter come together in a pan over med-low heat and then added the remaining ingredients... this was a Just Keep Tasting recipe since it was a complete experiment and I didn't even have a recipe to base it off of.  You may want to adjust yours to taste, but Just Keep Tasting until you like it! 

Once you get it where you want it... you'll want to put it on everything!  The recipe above made enough for approximately 4 small servings - I would recommend doubling the recipe.  Also - the addition of Sriracha is a moral imperative when talking peanut butter sauce.

Just Keep Tasting until you get it right!  Who knew peanut butter sauce could be so light!

Valentine's Pizza Party Fun

Going out to dinner on Valentine's Day (especially during a weekday) is sometimes torturous...don't get me wrong... going out to celebrate is nice.  But then you have the crowds of people and the waiting and the pre-selected menus at some restaurants.  To combat this silliness, we opted to eat in while getting take-out from various places.  I highly recommend this strategy.

Matt got to choose the appetizer and went off on his own way to snag that... and it was kept a surprise until I opened the container - a perfect pick of coconut shrimp and my very favorite fries from Say-Boy.  YUM.

We agreed upon our favorite pizza  - Cantoni's with Jalapenos and Banana Peppers... our signature.

Dessert was all mine.  And Poky Dot begged me to indulge in their glorious selection of decadently calorie-laden sweet sweet sweet selections.  Because Matt didn't know what I had gotten, I was bursting at the seams to reveal my ridiculous selections.  Mind you, we basically NEVER get dessert (unless it's my birthday) but I got two because I couldn't decide!  Oh, yess.  Milky Way Cheesecake (which was practically half the size of my head) and Oreo Cookie Cake... oh my!  The Oreo Cake was so awesome, and looked it, that I just had to share a photo and tell the background.

Tacos for Breakfast? Just Add Eggs!...and lose the shell

Taco Meat.  You can eat it plain, on a salad, in a taco, on a burrito shell, AND... wait for it... on scrambled eggs. 

Matt's scrambled eggs are the best. ever.  How do you make them better?  Turn them into Taco Eggs.


Taco Eggs

Scrambled Eggs - if you need that recipe, seriously: put the spatula down and step out of the kitchen. now.
Taco Meat - we use ground turkey and pre-made taco seasoning from Sam's... another no-brainer.
Salsa
Cheddar Cheese
Onions
Lettuce
Hot Sauce

Stack it all up and enjoy a breakfast that will wake you up and get you revved for the day!! 

Another simple recipe that says... Just Keep Tasting.  This started out with just the eggs and meat and transformed (just this morning) into a "Taco Egg Breakfast Bowl".  

I like Pineapple. I like Shrimp. I like Teriyaki. Pineapple Shrimp Teriyaki.

When we visited Chaang Thai in Morgantown, they had a pineapple dish of sorts.  It intrigued me, but had no effect in swaying me from the curry.  It sounds much too risky.  Sweet pineapple and meat... I'm adventurous, but I have to get my feet wet before I dive the whole way in.

I recently learned that you can take the top of a pineapple and take off all the riff raff and plant it and it will grow into a pineapple tree.  Sounds like a simple concept but it had never crossed my mind before!  Promptly after learning this, I of course had to buy a pineapple so that I could try it. 

There is a recipe forthcoming. I promise.  A whole pineapple is a lot to commit to for two people.  It lived on top of the refrigerator for about a week, as I, time and time again, forgot to cut it up when people were over.  As with most things... I was worrying it was about to spoil so I wanted to come up with a good use for it other than just eating it raw.  And voila, a recipe was born.

 Pineapple Shrimp Teriyaki

2 cups Pineapple
2 cups Shrimp
1/2 cup White Onion (chopped)
1/8 cup Jalapenos (sliced thin)
1/4 cup Red Peppers (chopped small)
3/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce (store bought)
2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tbsp Cooking Sherry
2 tbsp Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Honey
1/3 cup Mango Hot Sauce (Melinda's or your choice)

Heat skillet and then add oil.  Saute the onion for 1-2 minutes, add pineapple, and saute this mixture until the pineapple starts to tenderize, (approx. 4-5 minutes).  Add jalapenos and red peppers.  Add all ingredients except the shrimp.  Let cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken (but don't let your pineapple cook down to mush.)  Make sure shrimp is well drained and add to the mixture.  I used thawed pre-cooked medium shrimp. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. 

This would be excellent with rice... if you're into that sort of thing!


If you can't find this.. you could just substitute some hot sauce and mango puree or juice... we went through a mango kick and have all sorts of mango products, including mango baby food - it works well for vinaigrettes. 

As it turns out... the pineapple was a must-pair with the shrimp.  Absolutely delicious.  You have to Just Keep Tasting.  Another fruit pairing that I was suspicious of for absolutely no reason at all!!

We also made enough Chicken Stir Fry this same night to eat for nearly every meal the remainder of the week. It must have been 2 gallons... we had a lot of vegetables that needed to be used and it just so happens you can put just about anything in a stir-fry. Due to the fact that there were so many ingredients... I can't really recall the recipe to transcribe it here.  Maybe next time!

Kick It Up a Notch Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Jalapenos

We have nearly given up on Walmart produce because it's over-priced and lacking in quality; however, they do offer such things as jalapenos, squash, and bok choy, which Sam's Club simply does not carry...ever.  We found some jalapenos that were worthy of stuffing.  Some of them were probably near 6" long. 

Over the weekend of the Super Bowl, we obviously wanted such things as wings and nachos and the whole shebang.  In an effort to be calorie-conscious we swapped out some ingredients and came up with healthier choices.  One of these choices was Buffalo Chicken Bites. I cut up chicken breasts into strips and marinated it in Hot Wing Sauce overnight and then baked it the next day.  Amazing when dipped in a blue cheese sauce made of light Ranch Dressing and Blue Cheese Crumbles. 

That being said... we had leftover Buffalo Chicken.  For this recipe you could easily substitute some plain chicken mixed with hot sauce.

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Jalapenos

12 Jalapenos
1 1/2 cups Buffalo Chicken (chopped into small pieces)
1 package Cream Cheese
1/3 cup Blue Cheese
1/3 cup Hot Sauce (Texas Pete or equivalent)
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
Bacon Bits

Spray a foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop jalapenos in half.  Leave the top on.  Remove seeds (not to make them less hot, but as a necessary evil for making room for the stuffing.) Mix softened cream cheese, chicken, blue cheese, and hot sauce together.  Spoon into the jalapenos. Sprinkle bacon bits on top.  Bake until peppers become tender (approximately 15-20 minutes). 

Note:  The ratios may not be exact.  I wasn't really paying attention when I mixed it up.  Just make sure it's pretty thick so that it stays put in the peppers.  You may want to have extra chicken or start with less cream cheese. 

This was inspired by a sample we had at Sam's Club and is a big leap for a certain Mr. Brammer, because he is adamant that he definitely, completely, and surely does NOT like cream cheese. After sampling a Jalapeno Popper at Sam's, stuffed full of ONLY cream cheese... I think he may further progressing towards recovery from his cream cheese phobia.  Of course in his defense, those jalapenos were coated with a deliciously crunchy panko breading (and for people who don't eat breaded items very often - we're easily spoiled by anything breaded). 

The point the story is Just Keep Tasting - different combinations, things you think you may not like... because it's when that one thing you don't like is paired with one thing you REALLY like that you think it might at least live up to the okay-mark and give it a shot once more! 

Who Says Pizza is Bad For You Wild Mushroom Pizza Party

We (and by we, I mean Matt) have a bad habit of buying mushrooms in excess... especially when we make the extra effort to hit up Giant Eagle or Kroger. This usually turns into a "this NEEDS to be used before it spoils" or molds in this case, which I always find intriguing since mushrooms are fungus.  Nevertheless, we had a plethora of oyster mushrooms and some shiitakes and I wanted pizza, so it was a natural progression towards a mushroom pizza. 

I recently discovered a wrap with only 80 calories (and it's basically full size - not one of those advertised as 80 calories and then it's a wrap the size of your palm or the 80 calories are for an 1/8 of the wrap - tricksters.)

 

An added bonus is they do not taste like sawdust.  On the flip-side, the regular ones are only 100 calories - still blowing most wraps away in the calorie department.  

Proceeding with the recipe... I used one of these wraps as the crust and scoured the fridge for the remaining ingredients to assemble this low calorie pizza.

Low Calorie Mushroom and Gorgonzola Pizza

1 Smart and Delicious Wrap
1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese (garlic and herb, or whatever you have)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 cup Gorgonzola Cheese
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Onions, sliced thin
1 Jalapeno, sliced thin
1/2 cup roasted Red Peppers
3/4 cup Arugula
1/8 cup Parmesan Cheese
Cooking Spray

In a skillet, saute mushrooms and onions until they are tender (you could caramelize if you desire, but we chose to have them just tender.) Season with garlic powder and salt/pepper to taste. (Remember not to season the mushrooms with salt until after they're tender, otherwise it will pull all the moisture out of them while they're cooking.)

Spray the tortilla generously with cooking spray, both sides.  Sprinkle with garlic powder and place in a 350 degree oven on the rack.  When the edges are barely starting to brown, remove and place on a cookie sheet.  Spread cheese wedge on the tortilla to edges, you can use more if you want it creamier.  Spray edges generously with cooking spray to prevent burning.  Layer the mushroom/onion mixture, then the red peppers, jalapeno, a sprinkling of the parmesan, and the gorgonzola. Place in the oven for approximately 5-7 minutes or until the gorgonzola starts to melt..  Remove and add arugula and remaining parmesan and a dash of salt.  Place back in the oven for 4 minutes or until the arugula starts to look slightly limp.

This was faaaabulous and super easy...regardless of how complicated I may make the recipe sound.  :)  Hopefully it comes across as simple as it is.

Just Keep Tasting - wild mushrooms... delicious!