Mexican Rice Stuffed Peppers

Mexican Rice Stuffed Peppers
Originally uploaded by kel h

First, make mexican rice

Ingredients:
1 cup rice (i used brown rice)
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cups water
1 10oz can crushed tomatoes
1 chipotle peppper minced (or less if you like less spicy)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1-2 tsp chili powder (use less if you used the pepper)
1 can beans (I used kidney beans because the italian market didn't have black beans)
2 tbsp olive oil

heat the oil
sautee the onion, garlic and rice until the rice is toasted and the onion is translucent
add the pepper, water, tomatoes, corn and seasoning and simmer for 30 min or until liquid is absorbed

to stuff the peppers, cut the tops off of 2 large or 4 small green peppers
scoop the rice into the cavities (i added cheese)
put them in a pan filled with tomato sauce and cover with foil
bake at 350 until the peppers start to soften 35-45min
nom!

Potato Leek Soup

Potato Leek Soup
Originally uploaded by kel h

I've got a lot of potatoes from my CSA, and I'm sick. So I decided to make potato leek soup. This is loosely based on a recipe from Emeril, only I didn't have cream, or creme fraiche (or plain yogurt, which is what I usually use when a recipe calls for creme fraiche). I DID however have goat cheese, which added a tangy taste I liked. If you don't want to make it vegetarian, add some bacon when you melt the butter.

1 leek, trimmed and sliced
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp herbs de provance
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 lbs potatoes peeled
1 cup white wine
4 cups veggie stock
1/4-1/2 cup goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 dashes worcestershire sauce

melt butter in pan
cook leeks in butter
deglaze pan with wine
add stock and cheese and simmer 20 min
blend
season
nom

Breakfast Stuff

Eggy stuff
Originally uploaded by kel h

this is an old family tradition for Christmas Morning that my dad got from one of the wives of his fellow coaches back when he coached hockey for NT back in the day

Ingredients

I lb breakfast sausage, browned

6 slices bread toasted and buttered on both sides

6 eggs beaten

1 tsp mustard

2 cups half and half

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

placed buttered toast in 9x13 pan

spread crumbled browned sausage over the toast

cover with cheese

mix eggs, mustard and half and half well

pour mixture over toast

refrigerate for at least 6 hours

bake 40-50 min at 350

Since I'm a vegetarian I like to use veggies instead of sausage.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Originally uploaded by kel h

So, today I am flying home to Buffalo for vacation, and last night I decided to cook some of the things I was concerned wouldn't keep from my CSA, including the zucchini. I've made chocolate zucchini cupcakes before, but I figured muffins would be better. The trick is not to overmix to keep them nice and soft.

This is adapted from an AllRecipes Recipe

Chocolate zucchini muffins

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and chocolate chips. Mix until just moist.
Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.

southwestern butternut squash and sweet potato casserole (aka savory potato kugel)

southwestern butternut squash and sweet potato casserole (aka savory potato kugel)
Originally uploaded by kel h

I have a bunch of sweet potatoes and butternut squash from the CSA farmshare, and I've been looking at some different ideas. One of things that caught my eye was a savory sweet potato kugel. I decided to tweak it a little bit. I like the sweet potatoes with the smokiness of the chipotle peppers, but a little goes a long way.

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash: peeled, seeded and cubed
3 med to large sweet potatoes: peeled and cubed
2 onions diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce diced
1 cup shredded cheddar
bread crumbs
salt
pepper
2 tsp adobo seasoning
olive oil 1 tsp

Steam the potatoes and squash until soft
mash
sautee onions and garlic in butter
add to mashed mix
season with salt and pepper
stir in chipotle pepper and sauce
add cheese
beat eggs and stir into mix
pour into a baking dish and top with bread crumbs, sprinkle with adobo seasoning, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350 for 45 min

Buttercup Squash stuffed with Kale and Orzo

Buttercup Squash stuffed with Kale and Orzo
Originally uploaded by kel h

so, things like this make me feel like maybe instead of this mental health counseling crap, i should have my own cooking show. I mean, if Sandra Lee, of Kwanzaa Cake fame can have one, why not someone who actually COOKS once in a while?

It would be focused on local and seasonal food and would do things like go to farmers markets and farms, and guests would include local small batch food producers. Part of the goal would be to encourage people to eat more local and seasonal food, and shop at farmers markets or get farmshares.

In the farmshare we have been getting these tiny buttercup squash. I love them because they are so much fun to stuff. We also got some kale, so I thought making Kale with Orzo, and stuffing the squash with that would be fun.

Buttercup Squash stuffed with Kale with Orzo

Cut the squash in half and remove the fibers and seeds from the middle.

Put cut sides down in a baking dish with a quarter inch water and bake for 30-45 min or until soft at 400

While it's baking, make your Orzo and Kale

based on a recipe from AllRecipes (I omitted the tomato this time)

Ingredients:
1/2 box orzo
1 tsp tumeric
1 bunch Kale stems removed and cut into 1 inch strips
1 tomato chopped
1/2 onion chopped
4 garlic cloved minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Boil orzo in salted water with tumeric for 9 minutes

sautee onion and garlic for abt 2 minutes
add kale and tomato and sautee for 10 minutes
drain orzo, add to kale and tomato
add lemon juice and zest, nutmeg and cheese
season with salt and pepper to taste

Fill the cavity of the squash with the Kale and Orzo (it helps to cut a little bit off the side opposite the cut side so they sit flat) and then sprinkle with cheese. Put it under the broiler until the cheese gets brown and melty.

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup
Originally uploaded by kel h

The farmshare has been filled with carrots, squash and potatoes lately. It's cold in New England (although STILL no snow, which seems wierd). My lungs were made of fail today. Put it all together and that spells SOUP

Based on a recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 2-3 lb butternut squash peeled and cubed
2 potatoes peeled and cubed
1 medium carrot peeled and grated
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 ribs celery diced
2 tbsp butter
1 cup white wine
3 cups veggie or chicken stock
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp grated fresh nutmeg
1/4 cup cognac
salt and pepper to taste

melt the butter in the bottom of a large pot
cook the onions and garlic til softened
add vegetables and cook for 10 minutes
add wine and cook for 2 minutes
add broth and thyme and simmer, covered for 30 min
puree in blender or with imersion blender
add cognac, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 min

Cognac (and wine) are optional, although I like the depth that the cognac adds to the soup. You could swap out the thyme for curry I suppose, but I think it's a bit much for the butternut's own flavor. Carrots are a bit more robust if you're looking for a curry soup.