Stuffed Bell Peppers

Alright, so you may have gathered from recent posts, but Nabil and I are trying to be more healthy. Brother Yacine is in town, so this has been a little difficult, but last week we had a great healthy dinner. Stuffed peppers anyone? Yes, please!

Below are the ingredients. I initially thought I was going to include some tomato sauce, but I ended up leaving that out.

- 5-7 bell peppers 
- 3/4 C orzo
- 1 C white rice
- 3 1/2 C vegetable stock (divided)
- Approximately 8 mushrooms
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 3-4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 T dill (finely chopped or dried)
- 1 T Italian seasoning (finely chopped or dried)
- 1 T parsley (finely chopped or dried)
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 C tomato sauce (optional)

To start, even the bottom, cut out the stem, and scoop out the seeds of the peppers. Then set aside.

In a sauce pot over medium heat, cover bottom of pan with olive oil and add orzo. Toast to golden and add rice, stir for about 1 minute.

Add 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and cook at a simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a separate pan, saute the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Once the onions are translucent, add the turkey and cook until lightly brown.

Transfer to a bowl with the rice and orzo and stir to combine. Add spices, remaining stock, and diced tomatoes.

Stuff the peppers and place in a baking dish.

Bake on 350 for 30min. I also cooked some delicious brussel sprouts for a side dish.

I added a little parm cheese to the top of each pepper with about 10 min left to bake.

Enjoy! Until next time...

Artichokes; making the best even better

One of the things that my mom made that I absolutely loved when I was growing up was artichokes. I LOVE artichokes, and right now they are at the height of their season. Zupan's (which is my fave grocery store) has amazing artichokes. I found this recipe last spring for bar-b-qued artichokes, and after that, I will never go back. This recipe is amazing, and it is very simple. It takes a day of pre-planning, but it is well worth it.

All you need is the artichokes, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs for seasoning.

Here is what I do. First I steam the the artichoke about two-thirds from being fully done. Then I cut the artichoke in half. I never knew this before, but if you cut the artichoke in half and it had been mostly cooked, the little thorns are really easy to just scoop out.

  

After cutting out all the thorns, place the halves in a marinade over night.

The marinade is a mixture of the following ingredients:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves chopped garlic ( I also substitute crushed garlic sometimes)

1/2 lemon squeezed

1 sprig of fresh rosemary chopped

The next day, all there is left to do is Bar B Que. Start cooking artichoke middle face down. Then flip. It only takes about ten minutes. I pour the marinade in the bowl when cooking the leaf side down.

No need for anything to dip the leaves in either. You are welcome, cause this the best thing since sliced bread!

Yum!