Stuffed turkey peppers

Did you notice that my food is usually still steaming when I take its picture?  That's usually because I don't want to wait to eat it... Those who have worked with me (and thus seen me eat, because it seems to happen every few hours) have probably noticed that I have a thing for peppers. It's kind of like my obsession with pumpkin, which by the way is slowly improving.  Mostly because even though its fall and not even Thanksgiving and I should be able to have pumpkins - the stores no longer have pumpkins.  And after eating a 'real' pumpkin the pre-pureed version in a can just isn't the same. Stupid learning to eat real food...  The pepper thing is kind of like that, only it's year round so the crazy is spread out a little. Anyway, I really like peppers, I put them in all sorts of things, kind of like mushrooms (more on that coming in the next batch of cooking), and I really enjoy stuffed peppers. 

 Up today, plain ol' ordinary green bell peppers stuffed with ground turkey.  Mostly latin inspired flavor.  I'm really enjoying ground turkey and ground chicken because it doesn't really have much of a strong flavor - it adapts pretty easily with a little seasoning. 

Makes: 4 servings

Per serving: 130 calories,

22g protein,

1g fat,

9g carbs

Ingredients: 

4 bell peppers

12 oz ground turkey

3 oz coarsely chopped mushrooms

1 roma tomato, chopped

1/2 T dried cilantro

1 tsp cumin

* Clean the peppers, remove the stem and remove the seeds and flesh from the inside.  Place on lined baking sheet in the oven pre-heated to 375F for 5 mintues.

 

 * Mix together ground turkey, mushrooms, tomato, cilantro and cumin.  Divide into 4ths and roll into balls

 

* Remove the peppers from the over & stuff your turkey balls inside

 

Return to the oven at 375F and back until fully cooked, approximately 45 minutes.  The turkey should be browned through and the peppers should be soft.  

Eggplant a la Adithi

This one really isn't mine to share.  I took a few liberties with the recipe but Adithi took pity on my overabundance of eggplants and provided an Indian recipe for me.  It works quite nicely on cauliflower rice and is such a great combination of spices that I don't really miss any of the things I'm not eating... grain, dairy, soy, sugar... 

Simple... chopped eggplant, tomato & onion.

 

Lots of spices- garlic, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, ground mustard...

 

Cover, simmer for a while and then it turns into something like this... 

  

Mason jar salads

I eat a lot of salad.  A lot.  It's my go to choice for lunches and portable, packable foods.  My fridge is often stocked with pre-cut produce and chopped lettuce, spinach, etc. so I can throw a combination of vegetables or fruit on something green and leafy and head out the door.  The problem with this is that I have to constantly go shopping for fresh produce.  This is not a terrible problem because for some reason I love grocery shopping but can be difficult when working long hours.  I've read a fair bit about vacuum sealing salads in mason jars and they're just so pretty I figured I'd give it a try.  Rumor is vacuum sealed lettuce with last for more than a week staying nice and crisp.  I'm not sure about that, and I don't know how salad making interferes with that longevity but I'll report back later.  

From what I've read the mason jar salad is pretty straight forward itself.  Basically wet things on the bottom and greens on top. From bottom to top:

Dressing (I use salsa).  

Tomatoes if they're chopped

Wet vegetables or those that may benefit from 'marinating' -- zucchini/squash, mushrooms... 

Vegetables that are crisp and serve as a barrier between wet and dry -- whole tomatoes, carrots, peapods... 

Protein or grains -- eggs, chicken, rice, pastas...

Lettuce or other greens

Finally any seeds nuts or final dry ingredients

I just used my standard go to produce and we'll see how these compare to my usual "day of" packed salads as we go through the week.  I had every intention of adding my grilled chicken and red onion but that seems to be forgotten.

1.  Mango salsa... One of my recipes I have apparently not yet shared here, but I often use salsa in place of salad dressing.  

 

Next veggie layers of chopped roma tomato, diced zucchini, sliced mushrooms and cucumber. 

Then a layer of carrots...

Followed by a ton of lettuce.  It's amazing how much it packs down...

Then sealing... I used the super cheap MacGyver method. Mostly because my stores don't sell the nifty vacuum sealing attachment.  More's the pity really.  I apparently can't get my fill of kitchen gadgets.   My method just requires jars and some vacuum sealer.  I used a Ziploc one I got for about $4 at Walmart.

First you'll need a hole in the top of the lid.  I poked a hole with a knife.  Then cover the whole with tape.  Something like electrical tape will probably hold up better.  I used masking tape because it's what I had in my kitchen and it worked.

     

 Then cover the taped hole with the vacuum sealer and suck out the air.  This should seal the jar so the lid is sucked down, is not easily lifted off the jar and "indented" rather than popped up and no long depress-able.  Repeat, repeat, repeat....

And, voila.  A weeks worth of neatly packed salads. 

 

To make 6 I used 6 wide mouth quart jars, lids and bands.  And added the following divided between the 6 jars in this order:

1 1/2 cups of mango salsa

1 small zucchini, diced

1 roma tomato, diced

10 oz sliced mushrooms

1/2 cucumber, sliced

 8 oz sliced carrots

1 head of iceberg lettuce

1 head of red leaf lettuce

Turkey and vegetable casserole

 

  

I thought about making meatloaf.  Then I got a whole bunch of vegetables into the mix.  And this turned into more of a vegetable medley with a little meat thrown in.  Somehow that seems to keep happening. 

Makes: 9x13 pan (12 servings)

6g carb, 11g protein, 1g fat per serving

 

Ingredients:

1 lb (16oz) ground turkey

1 egg or 3T liquid egg whites

3 large roma tomatoes halved (~300g)

2 large carrots, sliced (~200 g)

1 Anaheim pepper, sliced

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 small zucchini, cubed

1 small onion, chopped

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 325 F

* Place tomatoes, peppers and carrots on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spray or coat lightly with olive oil.  Place in oven and cook for 40-45 minutes.

 

* After 45 minutes, place mushrooms, zucchini and onion on baking sheet and add place in oven with other vegetables.  Continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes.  

* Increase oven temp to 350F

* Chop tomatoes and peppers into small pieces.  

* Mix vegetables with ground turkey and egg in large mixing bowl.   

* Spread evenly in a 9x13 pan. 

 

* Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. 

 

Variation... 

* This holds together moderately well.  You could easily double the meat and it would hold together much better and be more "loaf" like.  

* Add some seasoning.  I did not season this since I have 12 servings of it to eat myself I like that I can top it with some of my Apple BBQ Sauce one day and herbs the next.  If you wanted something more 'ready to eat' you could easily add it BBQ sauce, A1 sauce, ketchup, etc. or herbs and seasonings of your choice. 

* Mix and match your vegetables.  I picked an assortment of what I had on hand.  They went well together and are to my taste (thus what I keep on hand...) but is by no means the only way to do this.  Note that I resisted adding pumpkin (though it was a close call and I baked some to go with it...)

Eggplant lasagna

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 Having been grain free for 2 weeks I started thinking about all the things I used to cook.  For anyone I've cooked for prior to the last 6 months, that pretty much involved pasta.  And more pasta with a side of pasta and maybe some bread to go with it.   Among my favorite meals was lasagna. 

I somehow happened to have 4 eggplants (I really don't know how these things happen when I'm at the store...) and got inspired to see if I could come up with a comparable grain free alternative. I am pretty satisfied with it and will rest easier at night knowing this option exists...

Makes: 9x13 pan (~15 servings)

15g carbs, 18g protein, 1g fat per serving

Ingredients:

3 medium eggplants (you could get by with 2 med-large ones)

20 oz ground turkey

8 oz mushrooms, washed and quartered

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

3.5 cups tomato pasta sauce

3 roasted tomatoes (optional)

2 tsp crushed garlic

2 cups (8oz) mozarella cheese, shredded

2 cups (1 small container) ricotta cheese

1 egg or 3T liquid egg whites

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

salt, pepper

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 375F

 

* Peel eggplants and slice about 1/4" thick lengthwise. 

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* Place strips of eggplant on baking sheets in the oven and bake for 5 minutes flipping about half way through.  The eggplant won't be fully cooked but this does make it a little more tender and take some of the moisture out. 

* Cook the onions in a skillet over low heat until they begin to turn translucent.  Add garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are tender. 

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* At the same time in a separate skillet combine ground turkey, 1 tsp basil and 1 tsp oregano and brown the meat.

 

* In a large bowl combine ricotta, mozarella (1 set aside ~1/4 cup to sprinkle on top), egg, 1 tsp basil, and 1 tsp oregano

 

* Spray your pan lightly with cooking spray and place a small amount to sauce in the bottom of the pan. 

 

 * Begin layering with the eggplant on the bottom...

 

* Add about 1/3 of the cheese mixture 

 

* Top with 1/3 of the meat and 1/3 of the mushroom mixture 

 

* Add 1/3 of the sauce

 

 * Repeat layering with the eggplant and continue as above until all layers have been made. 

 

*In the second layer I added roasted tomatoes and peppers in place of the sauce.  If you don't have or don't want roasted tomatoes/peppers you can omit these and just layer as above with additional sauce in its place.

 

* Finish by topping with a 4th layer of eggplant and remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese if desired. 

 

* Cover with aluminum foil and back at 375F for 1 hour.  Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. 

 

* Cut and serve.  

Apple BBQ Sauce

Apple BBQ Sauce

 

Sweet and tangy.  Great for fall.  Great for pork, great on chicken.  Sweeter than your standard BBQ sauce but all natural and definitely a kick to the sweetness.

Makes: 16 cups

Calories: 15 (per 2 Tablespoons)

Nutrition: 4 carbs, 0 protein, 0 fat

Ingredients:

3 cup water

6 lbs. apples, cored and sliced

2 medium onions sliced

1 can tomato paste (6oz)

2/3 cup white vinegar

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 T chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp Worcester sauce

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in large soup pot and heat to simmering.  Continue to simmer until apples become soft and translucent. 

 

 2. Place in blender and blend well. 

Fall Farmer's Market Bake

Random experiment gone beautifully right. An assortment of fall vegetables (and a few staples thrown in for good measure) roasted, baked and surprisingly delicious. Picked up an assortment of vegetables at the Westside Market on Monday and come the end of the week needed to find a way to get many of them cooked.

The peppers got sliced and baked into spring rolls which it turns out are a delicious place to put some of my (much beloved) salsa.  The persimmon was also a wonderful new discovery and I expect there will be many more in my future.

The vegetable bake would be great with meat if one was so included to cook and add it but is sufficient on its own.  Could easily be made vegan by leaving the cheese off the top.  Could easily be switched up by changing the vegetables you're including.  Zucchini or squash would fit right in with the rest.  Sweet potatoes or any potato would be nice sliced, roasted and layered in here as well. 

Servings: 12
Calories: 120
Nutrition: Carbs 21g; Protein 6g; Fat 3g

Ingredients
1 eggplant (450g)
1 acorn squash (1250g)
1 cup pumpkin puree (200g)
6 large roma tomatoes (775g)
2 small white onion (150g)
1 bunch asparagus (250g)
14 oz mushrooms
1 T oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp crushed garlic
nutmeg
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup pecan halves, chopped
olive oil or olive oil spray


Directions:

*  Preheat oven to 400F
* Divide acorn squash longitudinally.  Scoop out seeds.  Spray or brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with nutmeg.

* Place squash in oven directly on rack with open face up.
* Line baking sheets with foil.  Thickly slice two small onions.  Spray lightly or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano.
* After squash has cooked for 15 minutes increase temperature to 450F and add baking sheet with onions to the oven.

 * Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise.  Again, coat lightly with olive oil and oregano.  After onions have been in oven for 10 minutes add tomatoes to oven.

* Remove the woody base of the stems from the asparagus.  Coat lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano.

* Slice eggplant in half and then slice into 1/2-inch strips.  Again coating with olive oil and oregano.

* Add eggplant and asparagus to oven on baking sheets after tomatoes have been cooking for 10 minutes. 

* Prepare baking pan by spraying or coating with oil.
* Slice mushrooms and saute in pan on stove until tender.
* Remove vegetables 20 minutes after adding asparagus and eggplant (1 hour after starting to cook squash) and reduce temperature to 350F

* Begin layering roasted vegetables in 9X13 pan by placing eggplant on bottom of dish with some overlapping.  

 * Top eggplant with tomatoes and then asparagus.  Sprinkle with remaining oregano, garlic and rosemary.

* Continue layering vegetables with onions and mushrooms.

 * Skin cooked squash and cut into approximately 1-inch thick slices.  Place slices to top of dish.  Mash squash lightly with large spoon and spread to coat other vegetables.

* Top with pumpkin puree and spread evenly.   Spread shredded over top.

* Place pan in oven.  After 15 minutes sprinkle chopped pecans over top of dish.

* Bake for addition 10 minutes or until cheese starts to turn golden brown around the edges.

* Remove from the over, cut and serve.