Stuffed Peppers

Another recipe from my sister, discovered deep in the Facebook Messenger archives while looking for the chickpea one. It's titled: Super Delicious (and I hate cooked peppers) Stuffed Peppers. But I hate cooked peppers too, so I haven't tried it.

4 bell peppers
2 cups cooked (1 cup dry) quinoa or rice
1/2 cup grated or crumbled cheese - feta, mozzarella, parmesan...
1 tomato
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp marjoram, oregano, and/or basil
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450F.
If starting with uncooked quinoa/rice, start cooking as directed. For more flavor, use broth instead of water or add a bullion cube while cooking.
Grease a small square casserole pan with olive oil.
Remove the stems and seeds from the bell peppers but keep the rest of it whole (like cutting the top off of a jack-o-lantern). Sprinkle inside with salt and black pepper. Place standing up in the pan.
Chop tomato well. Combine with cheese, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. When quinoa/rice is done cooking, add to tomato and mix well.
Pack mixture into peppers with a spoon (it may not all fit).
Bake for 30 minutes.

She adds:
You can also stuff zuccinis with couscous! Or tomatoes with rice and chedder! Little things in big things plus cheese and garlic! Yay!

One-Pot Chickpeas and Rice

My sister sent me this recipe years ago, and I finally made it last night. It is easy and delicious, so of course my toddler won't touch it.

1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chopped tomatoes, or 6oz fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 cups white basmati or jasmine rice
1 Tbsp yellow curry powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
lots of black pepper
1 1/4 cup water

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan (with a lid!) over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add curry powder and cook a few minutes more.
Add water, tomatoes with juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
Add drained chickpeas and rice. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
Taste test. If the rice is not done, add another 1/4 cup of water and re-cover to simmer 5 more minutes.

Fruited Grain Salad

This is a neat salad from Moosewood, originally introduced to us by one of the Liberal Luncheon crew.

1 c raw wheat berries
1 c pearl barley
1 c short grain brown rice
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 T lemon juice
3 T light oil
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c golden raisins
3/4 c minced chives or scallions
6-7 large mint leaves, minced
4-5 ripe plums, sliced (or grapes, peaches, etc.)
1-2 tart apples, diced

Soak wheat berries about 30 minutes. Wash barley several times, then cook with rice and 4 1/4 c water (boil, cover, simmer 35 minutes). Drain wheat berries, then cook with 2 1/2 c water (boil, cover, simmer 1 hour - 1:15). Combine warm grains. Add everything except fruit. Cover and chill. Add fruit just before serving.

Louisiana Style Red Beans & Rice

From Skinny Vegetarian Entrees.

3 c canned red beans (save canning liquid)
3 c cooked rice
1/3 c minced red onion
3 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 c minced scallion (greens and whites)
1/4 c minced celery leaves
1/4 t dry sage
1/4 t dry thyme
1/4 t cayenne powder

Melt butter in saucepan. Saute garlic 1 minute on low heat.
Add red onion, celery leaves, and round 1/3 cup scallions. Saute 4 minutes on medium heat.
Add sage, thyme, and cayenne. Add beans and 3/4 canning liquid. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring often.
Serve beans over rice, garnish with remaining scallions.

Black Bean and Rice Burritos

From Vegetarian Times.

1c brown rice (dry)
12 6-inch flour tortillas
16 oz. can black beans
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 c chopped onion
1-2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
chopped scallions
salsa

Cook the rice as directed, usually: 1 cup rice to 2 cups water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat 35 minutes.
Wrap tortillas in foil and heat in oven at 200F, or microwave as directed.
Combine the black beans (with canning liquid), garlic, tomato, onion, chili powder, and cumin in a saucepan. Simmer until tomatoes are soft, usually 5-15 minutes.*
Spoon rice and beans into each tortilla. Garnish with scallions and salsa.

Per burrito: 185 calories, 0 cholesterol, 3g fat, 35g carbs, 6g protein.

*The even simpler cheater version of this is to just combine a can of drained black beans with a can of half-drained tomatoes and chilis (I usually get either Rotel or Hunt's), add some cumin and chili powder, and cook on medium heat until it's hot throughout and starts to simmer.