South of the Border Stuffed Peppers

Recently, a good friend told me that she found a recipe for Southwestern stuffed peppers.  The whole idea intrigued me.  However, I did not have a recipe to make them.  So, this is my adaptation and my ideas of what should go into a recipe of this sort.  By the way, this is a healthy dinner because I am using ground turkey and reduced fat cheese.  If you are not a fan of ground turkey, beef can easily be substituted for this delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey or beef (85% lean)
1 egg
1.25 oz. packet of your favorite taco seasoning
1 c. cooked rice (I used prepared, microwaveable rice)
1 c. black beans, rinsed in cold water and drained
1 c. corn (can be frozen, canned or fresh)
½ medium onion, diced small
3-4 bell peppers (I prefer red, orange or yellow, which are less bitter than green)
½ c. your favorite salsa (plus 1 T. per pepper for finishing)
2 c. your favorite Mexican cheese (separate into two 1 c. portions)

 

Rinse and dry bell peppers.  In a bowl, add turkey (or beef), the egg, taco seasoning, cooked rice, beans, corn, diced onion, 1 c. shredded cheese and ½ c. salsa.

Stir lightly with a fork, being careful not to mash the beans.  Combine until all ingredients are incorporated.

 

Prepare peppers by removing most of the stems.  Cut peppers in half with a paring knife and remove seeds and any membrane.  Stuff each pepper with a generous portion of the meat mixture.  If doing three medium sized peppers, you should be able to use the entire mixture to make six halves, as shown in the picture.

 

Place the peppers in a greased baking dish.  Pour 1 T. salsa and sprinkle cheese over each pepper.

Bake uncovered at 350º for 45 - 60 minutes.  You should be able to see that the meat is cooked.  10 minutes prior to serving, remove from oven and sprinkle more cheese over each pepper, then return to oven.  Once the cheese has melted completely over each pepper, they are ready to serve.

Suggestions: Serve peppers with tortilla chips and sour cream.

Beef Tips Burgundy, Swedish Chef Style

I think that I have only had beef tips burgundy once or twice in my life.  One day, standing at the meat counter of our local grocery store, I was looking at the selection of meat.  I saw packages of stew beef.  I wondered what I could make other than stew, but still wanting a better quality of meat.  So, I decided to try my hand at creating a recipe for beef tips burgundy.  As I perused the meat counter, I found some USDA Select sirloin, and so began my interpretation of beef tips burgundy.  Every time we serve this to guests, I always receive compliments and they sometimes even ask for a second helping.  This is a winner, as far as I am concerned.

Ingredients:
2½-3 lbs. boneless top sirloin, fat removed and cut into 1-1½ inch cubes
1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and sliced (button mushrooms were used in this demonstration)
3 bay leaves
1 large shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 stems fresh thyme (tied in a bundle)
salt and pepper
2 10½ oz. cans beef broth (I used beef consommé for this recipe)
Approx. 2 c. burgundy wine
3 T tomato paste
8 oz. butter
½ c. olive oil

Coating Mix:
1½ c. all purpose flour
1 T each of salt and pepper
1 T paprika
large Ziploc bag

In a large Ziploc bag, add 1½ c. flour, 1 T each of salt, pepper and paprika.

In a heavy skillet, heat ½ c. olive oil and 2 T butter.  You may need to use additional butter and oil during the searing process.

 

Place a handful of sirloin pieces in the bag.  Zip and shake to coat the meat pieces.  Shake off excess flour and place in heated skillet being careful not to overcrowd (which may cause the beef to exude juices, and you want this to sear on all sides). 

Sear the meat on all sides and remove to a 5 qt. Dutch oven.  Repeat this process until all of the beef is seared.  Do not discard the brown bits in the pan.

 

Once all of the beef has been seared, chop shallots and garlic, and add to the skillet.  Add 3 additional tablespoons of butter to the skillet and stir until it is melted.  Sauté until tender. 

Add 3 T flour (you can use the flour left over in the Ziploc bag).  Stir until the butter is absorbed.

Begin adding beef broth and continue to stir, trying to loosen the brown bits in the skillet.  The mixture will begin to thicken.  Use both cans of broth.

Once the sauce has thickened, add tomato paste and stir to combine. 

Pour the mixture over the beef and add 2 c. burgundy (or enough to cover the beef pieces).

 

Add mushrooms, bay leaves and thyme bundle.

Cover with lid and place in a 325º oven for approximately 3 hours, or until beef tips are tender.  Note: check half way through the cooking time.  As the sauce thickens, you may need to add additional broth or wine.

Remove bay leaves and thyme before serving.

I prefer to serve this over cooked noodles.

Lemon Chicken and Artichokes over Angel Hair Pasta

 
I came across this recipe on line the other day, and it looked simple and light.  After tweaking some of the ingredients, I made this dish and was impressed by how light it was.  The lemon flavor, especially because of the zest, really stands out.  The preparation is easy and I do not think you will be disappointed.















Ingredients:
1 T. unsalted butter
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
½ c. all purpose flour
¼ t. salt
¼ t. black pepper
dash of paprika
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 lemons - zested and juiced
1 c. chicken broth
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. dry sherry
½ t. minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 t. dried basil
14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 T. corn starch
¼ c. water
½ lb. angel hair pasta

Melt butter and olive oil in large skillet, over medium heat. 

 

 

 
Combine flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a large plastic Ziploc bag.  Put chicken breasts into the bag and shake until thoroughly coated.

Shake excess flour from chicken, and place the breasts in the skillet.  Brown on each side, about 10 minutes.

 

 

Add to the skillet lemon juice and zest, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, sherry, garlic, bay leaf and basil.  Bring to a boil the cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Stir in the artichoke hearts and continue simmering until chicken is no longer pink in the center (about 15 minutes more).

Mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl.  Stir the slurry into the skillet and continue cooking for about 5 minutes to thicken.

Serve over angel hair pasta.  In this demonstration, the dish was topped with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.