Grilled Cheese With Mushrooms & Roasted Spicy Peppers

Recipe & Pic from Midget Mama

This simple sandwich packs a lot of flavor with the addition of spicy roasted peppers! Try serving with the Kohlrabi soup recipe above or enjoy on its own with some tomato sauce for dipping.

2 tablespoons butter

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 cup roasted peppers- Jarred or Homemade

16 slices Provolone cheese

8 slices sliced sourdough bread

1/4 cup mayonnaise

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Set the oven temp to 400 degrees F.

Place whole peppers on a lightly oiled baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake 20-30 minutes, or until skins are thoroughly blackened, flipping occasionally to achieve even charring and roasting.

(optional) Add the charred chili pepper to a plastic baggie and seal, or to a bowl and cover. Allow to steam in the baggie about 10 minutes to loosen the skin. When the skins are loosened and the chilies are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. A towel will help, or a fork. Discard the skin.

Melt butter in a pan and add roasted peppers and mushrooms. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and saute on medium heat until mushrooms are soft and cooked all the way through, then set aside.

Spread may lightly one side of each slice of bread.

place bread may side down in the pan. Add 1 slice of cheese, ¼ of the mushroom-pepper mixture, then another slice of cheese, and then the second slice of bread- mayo side up.

Cook for 5 minutes, or until golden brown, then flip and cook 2nd side until golden brown.

Recipe: Green Shakshuka

2021 Week 20 Newsletter

Recipe & Pic From Wild Greens & Sardines

Another flexible recipe that can include just about any hearty green! Shakshuka is typically based around tomatoes but here peppers and leafy greens create the base for creamy baked eggs. Try throwing in some chopped green tomatoes for some extra tang and serve with a simple side salad.

Olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned well, thinly sliced (sub in thinly sliced onion from your box!)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno or serrano chile, minced (add in more peppers of any kind!)
6 cups mixed greens, roughly chopped (such as spinach, kale, chard, beet greens, dandelion greens, etc.)
Handful of mixed herbs (such as basil, parsley, dill, chives, fenugreek leaves), plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
6 eggs
Feta for topping
Sumac for topping
*Chile oil for topping
Za’ atar flatbread for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and chile, and sauté another minute. Add the greens and herbs, season with salt and pepper and sauté until cooked down, about 5 minutes. Stir yogurt into greens.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Make six indentations in the greens mixture. Crack an egg into each. Cover the skillet and cook until the egg whites are just set but yolks still runny. Turn off the heat, top with crumbled feta and chopped herbs, sprinkle with sumac and drizzle with chile oil.

*For the chile oil: Place 2 to 3 tablespoons chile flakes (such as Calabrian, Aleppo, Urfa Biber or Korean) in a heatproof bowl. Heat up oil of your choice (I used olive oil, but peanut, grapeseed, or canola would work). When sizzling hot, pour the oil over the chile flakes. Let sit, ideally for 24 hours, to allow the chile to fully infuse the oil.

Recipe: Scrambled Eggs With Peppers & Tomatoes

2021 Week 18 Newsletter

Recipe & Pic From Umami Girl

Delicious for breakfast for for dinner! Pair with toast or roasted potatoes and add in a healthy pinch of cumin and smoked paprika. If you don't have cotija cheese, some crumbled feta or a healthy dollop of sour cream would do just as nicely.

1 tablespoon olive oil

Several sweet or spicy peppers

1 medium onion, diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 eggs

½ cup crumbled cotija cheese

⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cholula or other hot sauce, to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add peppers and onions along with a good pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes, until softened to your liking. Meanwhile, scramble the eggs in a medium bowl.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour eggs into the skillet and cook, pulling to the center with a silicone spatula as the set underneath, until just cooked through. Divide between two plates and top with cheese, cilantro, hot sauce to taste as well as more salt if you like and some freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe: Black Beans & Rice With Roasted Peppers & Garlic

2021 Week 12 Newsletter

Recipe & Pic from The First Mess

This is another one of those great cheap and easy flex dishes that can be instantly changed up depending on what toppings/garnishes you are feeling! Try some sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream and scoop it up with tortilla chips or spoon it into taco shells. Throw a fried egg on top for some extra protein and include a side salad with a creamy dressing- beans and rice don't have to be boring! 

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1-2 sweet peppers of choice

1 fresh jalapeno

½ medium white onion, sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 cup chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tablespoon avocado oil

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed thoroughly

1 15½ oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ teaspoon soy sauce

2 ¼ cups filtered water

juice of 1 lime

handful chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small-medium soup pot or medium braiser-style pot, dry toast the cumin and coriander over medium heat until fragrant. Transfer the toasted spices to a spice grinder and grind until spices are powdered. Set aside.

Remove the stems and seeds from the sweet peppers and jalapeno. Cut the peppers into rustic, 2-inch-ish pieces and place them on the baking sheet.

Place the sliced onions, tomatoes, and garlic cloves on the baking sheet as well. Toss the vegetables with the ground cumin and coriander, avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Slide the vegetables into the oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and uniformly soft.

Let the vegetables cool slightly before transferring to a blender or food processor. Pulse the mixture a few times until you have a chunky paste. You’re just trying to avoid large pieces of garlic and chili. Scrape this mixture into the soup pot from earlier.

Add the rice, beans, tomato paste, soy sauce, and water to the pot. Set the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook the rice and beans for 40 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Check the pot and stir every 10-15 minutes or so. Add more water if necessary.

Take the pot off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes with the lid on. Then, remove the lid and stir in the lime juice, cilantro, and a good pinch of salt. Serve the black beans and rice hot.

Recipe: Roasted Sweet Pepper Vinaigrette

1 cup roasted red peppers, roasted* and peeled
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons honey, agave syrup, or organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor or and puree until smooth.

*To roast your peppers: Char until the skins are blistered all over. Place freshly blistered peppers in a covered bowl or a plastic bag. Set aside and let the peppers “steam” for about 10 minutes. Peel away the loosened skin and discard the seeds and stem.

Recipe: Clean Out The Fridge Strata

From The Seattle Times
This is a great way to use up stale bread, whatever melting cheese you have in the fridge, and leftover veggies of all kinds!

6 cups of cubed bread
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 tsp salt
2 (or more) cups grated cheese- a mix of varieties is fine!
A couple handfuls of chopped onion, sweet or hot peppers, leeks, kale, tomatoes, any kind of fresh herbs, or whatever suites your fancy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart of 2-liter casserole dish.
In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, cream, milk, and salt. Make a layer of about a third of the bread cubes at the bottom of the casserole dish, and sprinkle with about a third of the cheese and half of your veggies. Repeat for another layer, then top with the remaining bread cubes and cheese.
Pour the egg mixture into the casserole and bake for 40min. Let it rest for about 10min before serving.

Recipe: Blistered Shishito Peppers

from Cookie & Kate

This recipe calls offers exact amounts of peppers and oil, but you really just need enough peppers to cover the base of your skillet and enough oil to lightly coat the peppers.

8 ounces (3 heaping cups) shishito peppers

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil

Lemon wedge, optional

Salt, preferably flaky sea salt or kosher salt, to taste

Rinse and pat the peppers dry on a clean tea towel. Transfer the peppers to a medium bowl, drizzle in the oil, and toss until the peppers are evenly coated. Set aside.

Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat until it’s hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates quickly on contact. Add the peppers and let them cook, stirring every minute or so (not too often), until they are tender with charred spots, about 8 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the peppers to a serving plate. Spritz with a lemon wedge, if desired. Sprinkle with salt, to taste (don’t skimp). Serve with a little bowl on the side for the pepper stems.

Recipe: Pickled Hot Pepper Strips

from Summer In A Jar

1 cup white vinegar 
1/2 cup water 
1 garlic clove 
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 
1/2 teaspoon pickling salt 
2 cups hot peppers, seeded and cut into strips

In a nonaluminum saucepan, heat 1 cup white vinegar and 1/2 cup water for each pint of peppers. Into each hot, sterilized pint jar, place 1 garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon pickling salt, and 2 cups hot pepper strips, leaving about 1/2 inch head space. Fill with the hot brine, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Be sure to remove any air bubbles that are trapped inside the jar. Seal. Process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. Adjust seals if necessary. Let cool undisturbed for 12 hours. Store in a cool, dry place. If 

*be sure to reserach and follow canning safety procedure if you've never canned before!

Recipe: Lentil Salad With Carrots, Tomatoes, & Peppers

Adapted from Epicurious

1/2 lb brown lentils, rinsed
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced kalamata olives
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place lentils, bay leaves, and garlic in a large saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until lentils are tender. Drain, discarding bay leaves. Transfer to a bowl. Add peppers, carrot, tomato, feta, olives, onion, and parsley. Toss to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper. Pour over lentil mixture and toss.

Recipe: Roasted Peppers with Capers and Mozzarella

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 bell peppers 
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
1/2 pound ball of mozzarella, sliced (this is a great place to use the really fresh stuff, if you can get it)

Roast the peppers: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line peppers on a large baking sheet and roast them for 45 minutes to 1 hour, using tongs to rotate them 1/4 of the way, rotisserie-style, every 15 minutes. It’s safer to extend the cooking time than shorten it, as the skins will only come off easily if they’re fully cooked.

Once they’re fully roasted, cover the pepper tray with another piece of foil and let the peppers cool. When they’re cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Remove seeds and slice sections of pepper into 1/4-inch wide strips.

Toss peppers with red wine vinegar, garlic and a few pinches of salt. Cover and let marinate for an hour or overnight (and up to 4 days) in the fridge.

To serve, arrange peppers on a plate. Adjust seasonings, adding salt, freshly ground black pepper or additional vinegar, to taste. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with capers and basil and arrange mozzarella over salad.

Eat with some crusty bread and a glass of wine, preferably al fresco.