Tag Archives: main dish

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments

For some reason, I always think that when I come back from a business trip, everything is going to settle down. I’ll arrive home at 5:30 with plenty of time to make a nice leisurely dinner, follow it with an evening run or bike ride, and still have time to get to bed early.

And for some (presumably related) reason, I appear to be completely disconnected with reality, which generally goes a little more like this: finish work at least an hour later than planned, leave bike in the office because I still haven’t fixed the roof rack on my car, remember that I have to stop at the grocery store for something or the other, fly in the door around 8 with dinner barely a tadpole of a thought, cook, scarf it down, conveniently disappear while Nor does the dishes, finish up extra work stuff, and run around like crazy trying to get into bed before it’s officially tomorrow.

If any of that sounds familiar, you probably appreciate a quick and easy meal as much as I do. These stuffed peppers are a lifesaver on hectic nights – even more so if I remember to make the filling over the weekend (I usually don’t).  They also aren’t baked like many stuffed peppers – and with summer on the way and the thought of firing up the oven getting more unpleasant by the day, that’s a total bonus.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers
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Category: Main Dish, Side
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Yield: 6 peppers
Ingredients
  • 6 medium bell peppers
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/3 cup water or stock
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
  • 1/3 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar work well)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Garnishes: sour cream, salsa, avocado, additional cheese
Instructions
  1. Cut the top off of each pepper and remove the seeds. Replace the tops of the peppers.
  2. Fill a large stockpot with about an inch of water and place peppers upright in a steamer rack (if you don’t have one, directly in the water is fine). Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove lid.
  3. While the peppers are steaming, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and jalapeno and cook until onion is slightly softened and transparent, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.
  5. Pour in rice and stir until coated. Add tomato sauce and water/stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat and add black beans, corn, cilantro and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Fill peppers, cover each with the top of the pepper, and place back in the steaming pot. Steam for another 3-5 minutes until heated through.
  8. Top with any garnishes – cheese, sour cream, avocado, or salsa – and serve.
Notes

I like my peppers to keep a little bit of crunch, so I tend toward the lower steaming times. If you prefer softer peppers, use the longer cooking times.

Filed Under: Main Dish, Quick & Easy

Roasted Tofu With Wasabi Dipping Sauce

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Julie • 2 Comments

I might need to rename this blog. I’m starting to see a theme. I wonder if “foodmostpeoplehate-butireallyloveandwantyoutoloveittoo.com” is already taken. First the brussels sprouts, and now tofu – maybe next time we’ll tackle lima beans.

Tofu and I do not go way back. When I attempted vegetarianism as a teenager, I successfully cut out meat from my diet; however, in doing so, I also invented an entirely new dietary classification known as “pizzatarian.” I wanted nothing to do with anything remotely healthy, let alone anything that contained the words “fermented” and “soybean.” I did suck down an alarming amount of processed fake meat (the creepy bacon that even has the fake fat marbling), but that was as close as I got to tofu until a few years ago.

At some point I will post the tofu recipe that won me over. This is the recipe that’s won a lot of other tofu skeptics over, though, and it’s so good and so deliciously simple that you should really probably make it tonight. The high-temperature roast gives the tofu the pleasing texture of the deep-fried tofu you often see in restaurants, without the fat and grease. The outside is perfectly browned and crispy, the inside chewy and soft. And with a side of wasabi dipping sauce, it’s nothing less than addictive. Pop out a plate in the afternoon as a quick snack, or serve for dinner with broccoli and rice. And enjoy – if I’d known how to make this in high school, Mama Celeste pizza would’ve gone out of business.

Roasted Tofu with Wasabi Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
For the tofu:
1 package extra firm tofu (not silken)
4 tsp olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper (freshly ground, if possible)

For the dipping sauce:
4 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/8 tsp prepared wasabi
1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

Cube the tofu into 1 inch squares. In a large bowl, toss with salt, pepper, and oil, coating evenly. Toss the cubes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes. Turn the tofu cubes over and roast for an additional fifteen minutes, until outsides are browned and puffy.

While the tofu is roasting, combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Serve tofu warm or at room temperature.

Filed Under: Main Dish, Quick & Easy, Snacks, Vegan

Portabella Steaks

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Julie • 0 Comments

Steak is steak. I will acknowledge that. Obviously a portabella steak isn’t that reminiscent of an actual steak – you don’t have to let it rest, you don’t have to sear it first, and you don’t have to ask your guests how they like it cooked, because it certainly will not have a cool pink center (if it does, there is something very wrong with your mushroom and you should immediately throw it away and send the grocery store a strongly-worded email). However, there really is something about a big juicy bite of a grilled portabella mushroom that reminds me of meat. Maybe that’s because it’s been years since I’ve eaten an actual steak and I’ve forgotten what they taste like, or maybe it’s because of the supposed umami* the mushroom embodies. Regardless, this is the one thing I feel like I can throw on a grill at a barbecue that doesn’t result in people casting sympathetic glances my way as they tear into their steaks. It’s hearty and fulfilling, and won’t leave you missing actual steak at all. It also goes from grocery bag to table in under 45 minutes (including marinating time). That being my first and pretty much only criteria for weeknight dinners, it’s heavily in the rotation around here.

*Umami is supposedly the fifth taste category that the human taste buds can discern – the one that doesn’t fit neatly into the previously defined sweet/sour/salty/bitter packages. Translated simply, it means “delicious,” but the umami flavor is generally defined as meaty, robust, or savory. Umami’s discoverer, Japanese researcher Kikunae Ikeda, identified the broken down form of the amino acid glutamate (L-glutamate) as the source of the umami taste. Guess what’s super-rich in glutamate and hence, really delicious when cooked? Yep – mushrooms. This is allegedly why mushrooms are so often used as a meat substitute, and why the texture and mouthfeel of a grilled portabella is so very steaky.  I’m not sure I buy all of that, because I’m a simpleton and my reaction is more along the lines of “chomp chomp chomp, were you saying something?”

Portabella Steaks
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs whole portabella mushrooms (about 6)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat the broiler or fire up your grill. Or, if you’re me, put a grill pan on your stove and coat it with an equal mixture of Pam and your own tears, because you don’t own a grill and your oven is so old that the broiler is actually a drawer underneath the stove that licks tongues of hungry flames upon your food as soon as you open it, charring it beyond recognition and causing a cringing Pavlovian response every time someone says “broil.”

Place the mushrooms in a large, shallow dish (either a large baking dish or rimmed baking sheet will work well) Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley in a bowl and mix well. Pour over mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes, turning once.

Place the mushrooms on a grill grate (or aforementioned grill pan) or broiler pan (gill side down if grilling, gill side up if broiling) and cook for 4-6 minutes per side. The mushrooms should give off some of their natural liquid and be mostly firm to the touch. Serve hot.

Source: adapted from Williams Sonoma

Filed Under: Main Dish, Quick & Easy