Stuffed Peppers

For years I have been making stuffed bell peppers for dinner. I never use a recipe, but rather throw ingredients in as my mood dictates. But this evening, Jeff really liked the peppers more than any I've ever made before, so I thought I'd put it down here, lest I forget!

***So this morning, my youngest son and I clipped some Thai basil leaves and large-leaf basil leaves off my plants (he calls these plants 'breath fresheners' because he plucks leaves off periodically and chews on them.) We cut them and placed them in a bowl (about 1/3 cup leaves) and added about 1/4 cup of pure olive oil. We covered them and let them sit all day. Now for the recipe:

1 lb ground beef or turkey

4 bell peppers (assorted colors) halved and steamed until tender, but not overdone. 

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 cup chopped zucchini

***basil leaves soaked in pure olive oil

1/3 cup chopped onion

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (make sure they are gluten free)

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups instant rice

scant teaspoon of each: marjoram, rosemary, thyme

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

few dashes of tobasco sauce 

shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350◦. Strain the basil leaves from the olive oil and preheat the oil in a skillet. (Reserve the basil.) Saute the onions for 2 minutes, then add the zucchini and saute for a minute more. Then add the minced garlic and the basil leaves. Heat briefly--no more than 30 seconds. 

Remove contents of skillet to a bowl and then brown the ground meat. 

In the meantime, half and steam peppers. 

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the cheddar cheese and peppers, and cook covered over medium heat until all the water is absorbed by the rice. You may need to add more rice if there is still water remaining. 

Place peppers hollow side up and fill with meat/rice mixture. Top with shredded cheddar just for taste. Do not add more than a tablespoon to each, otherwise the flavor and texture will not be ideal.

Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned. 

Enjoy!

My Delicious Chicken Salad Recipe

A week ago a cast member of the play I'm in, "The Dining Room" (by A.R. Gurney), brought in some wonderful home-grown vegetables along with some oregano and Thai Basil. Wanting to use the basil right away, but having nothing to use it for, I found a small glass jar (4 oz.) and filled it with extra virgin Olive oil. I then cleaned the basil, muddled it a bit, and stirred it into the olive oil. I then put it in the refrigerator. (You can keep this infusion for a week.) The olive oil will solidify, this is fine. When you want to use it, simply scoop out a tablespoon or two and set on the counter for 15 minutes (if you're in a hurry, you can stir it until it melts.)

OK, that part out of the way, here's the delicious recipe I created--thought there may be a few of you who have these ingredients on hand and may want to try!

Ingredients

1-2 teaspoons of fresh dill seed (or weed) --I got this directly from my garden
1 Fage yogurt (Greek yogurt with honey--you will add the honey since it acts as an emulsifier)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed if you have it)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon of the olive oil infusion (described in first paragraph--I pulled out some of the Thai basil leaves and added them to the salad)

2 cups poached chicken cut in bite-sized cubes
1 large cucumber thinly sliced
1 small onion sliced in 1/2 rings
handful of red grapes, halved
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I toasted mine for 2 minutes in the toaster oven and they were perfect)


Mix the first 7 ingredients well. Add the remaining ingredients except the pecans.
Refrigerate for several hours. Toast pecans just before serving and sprinkle over top of salad.
Enjoy!