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.

Lentil Loaf

My sister was disappointed by all the "flaxseed and almond flour BS" in the lentil loaf recipes she found on Pinterest, so we went back to Mom's recipe cards to get the "old-fashioned hippie" version.

1 c dry lentils (2 c cooked)
1  13-ounce can evaporated milk
1/4 c oil
2 eggs
2 c oatmeal or extremely dry bread crumbs (we prefer oatmeal)
1/2 to 1 c chopped walnuts
1 minced onion
1 c minced celery
1 c grated carrot
1 tsp sage
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.
Prepare dry lentils by cooking them in 2 cups water over medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Combine cooked lentils with all ingredients and stir together thoroughly.
Divide into two loaf pans or 24 muffin cups.
Bake 1 hour. Serve hot with ketchup or BBQ sauce. Also makes good leftovers or cold sandwich filling.

Berry Trifle

I asked Facebook for a trifle recipe, expecting something involving Jell-O pudding mix. Instead my friend Anna, a former pastry chef, came through with this.

strawberries, blueberries, or other berries
pound cake (she likes Harris Teeter store brand) or ladyfingers
amaretto, triple sec, or simple syrup
whipped cream
pastry custard

Place a layer of berries in trifle dish. Place a layer of pound cake and sprinkle with liqueur/simple syrup to moisten. Then layer with berries, custard, and whipped cream. Repeat pound cake through whipped cream layers to fill the dish.

(photo by Anna Fraser)

Pastry Custard

4 cups milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided in half
6 eggs (2 whole & 4 yolks)
7 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons vanilla

Dissolve first half of sugar in milk and heat to boiling. Mix eggs, cornstarch, and other half of sugar together. Temper eggs with hot milk and whisk. Heat on stove until thickened, stirring constantly. As soon as the custard starts thickening, remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Chill in fridge.

Antipasto Dip

Here's a dip recipe from my Aunt Robin. I don't think I've ever had it, but it sounds interesting and she loves it. Apparently I was talking about having leftover canned artichokes at some point (probably after the Easter Soup Disaster of '09) and this is a good use for them.

14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
7oz can sliced mushrooms, drained and chopped
7oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 c pimento-stuffed olives, drained and chopped
1/2 c chopped green pepper
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c olive or vegetable oil
2/3 c white vinegar
2 1/2 t Italian seasoning
1 t seasoned salt
1 t sugar
1/2 t freshly ground pepper

Try to chop all the vegetables to about the same size. Combine artichoke hearts, mushrooms, red peppers, olives, green peppers, and celery in a large bowl and set aside. Sauté garlic and onion in oil about 3 minutes until onion is tender. Add vinegar and spices. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and pour over the vegetables. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to serving dish. Serve with crackers or with toasted bread as bruschetta.