Hello! I hope everybody enjoyed their midweek Fourth of July
parties. Did anybody else wake up the next morning thinking it was Monday? It’s
funny how a holiday in the middle of the week can throw things off kilter. I
admit, since I've been on break from school, all the days just seem to run
together. I guess that's the beauty of summer though.
Let's talk about birthdays. Birthdays can be
very strange events. Some people greet them with excitement and eagerness, planning everything from the cake to the guest list. Others look at them as simply another year older - another chapter in their
book that is being written with every day that passes. For the most part, my
family falls into the latter category. We never were the type of family to make
a huge production of birthdays; there was no massive "super
sweet 16" party or a house full of teenagers and loud music trashing the
place. Instead, they were usually intimate including only family and close
friends. Sometimes it was just family. For my parents it was one of two
options: stay home and cook a meal or go out to eat. This year was no
exception. For those of you fortunate enough to know my father knows that he is
a man of little fuss. His birthday was this past week, and as per every year we
ask the millionaire dollar question - "Would you like to go out for your
birthday, or eat at home?" Every year it's the same response, "What
does everybody else want to do?" You can only imagine the frustration that
comes with the indecisiveness. After a couple minutes of discussion there
is a decision. This year he requested a large salad (he is complicated to cook
for...AKA a picky vegetarian/vegan). A
salad he said. I walked away grumbling because I was hoping for some answer
other than a salad, something with a little more pizzazz.
And
so started my search for inspiration..and a recipe. Cooking for a vegetarian/vegan
can be hard. Trying to find a variety of foods that aren't repetitious can
be frustrating; and then you have to verify that it is what that person is
wanting. I stumbled upon a recipe for stuffed peppers and knew it was exactly
what I was looking for. They're hearty, packed full of protein, but not too
heavy. We have made stuffed peppers before with soy Chorizo, but my father
gets burned out on pseudo meat quickly so I had to find another protein
substitute. One of the great things about this recipe? You steam the peppers in
the microwave for about 7 minutes, drain, cool slightly, and stuff! How easy is
that? The stuffing alone would make a wonderful side dish to any meal. I halved
the recipe and used 1 orange and 1 yellow bell pepper. The recipe called
for Orzo pasta and sun-dried tomatoes, but we didn't have any on hand. So I
opted for brown rice and omitted the tomatoes. I would suspect you could use
tomato paste if you are in a pinch. I subbed the 1/2c Orzo for 1/2c of short
grain brown rice.
The peppers are wonderful hot or cold. You know how some dishes
just taste better the next day? Next day leftovers anyone? This is a recipe I will
definitely be keeping on hand for future reference.
For dessert, instead of the traditional birthday cake, I baked a simple zucchini bread. He loved it just the same (I guess I should mention he isn't a huge fan of cakes? Unless it's a carrot cake..without frosting).
Enjoy!
"It takes a long time to grow young."
~Pablo Picasso
Greek Stuffed Peppers (with my alterations)
Original recipe from EatingWell
Serves - 4
Total time - 40 minutes*
Ingredients:
4 yellow, orange and/or red bell peppers
1/2 cup whole-wheat orzo (I used 1/2c brown rice)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), chopped (I left this out)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Halve peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving the stems attached.
Remove the seeds and white membrane. Place the peppers cut-side down in a large
microwave-safe dish. Add 1/2 inch water, cover and microwave on High until the
peppers are just softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool slightly, drain and set
aside.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook
until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain
and rinse with cold water. (If using brown rice, bring 1 1/2c water to a boil. Add 1/2c rice and pinch of salt. Reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for 40 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender.)
3. Mash chickpeas into a chunky paste with a fork, leaving some whole.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and
cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and oregano and cook,
stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the orzo,
chickpeas, 1/2 cup feta, tomatoes (if using), vinegar and salt; cook until heated though,
about 1 minute. Divide the filling among the pepper halves and sprinkle each
pepper with some of the remaining 1/4 cup feta.
*If using brown rice, allow 1hr for total cook time.
