Category: Dinner

Kelsey’s Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

I usually do a stuffed Bell Pepper for Eric :)

Ingredients

6-8 portobello mushrooms
Hot Italian sausage
1 cup dry quinoa
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
5 celery stalks, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cups chicken broth
Bread crumbs (I use panko; ~1/2-1 cup? I always eyeball this)
Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Cook quinoa in chicken broth as you normally would prepare it.
2. Remove sausage from casing and sauté. Set aside.
3. To the same pan, sauté onion and celery until soft.
4. Add fire roasted tomatoes to pan and cook until warm.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the portobellos. Wash and scrape out insides of mushrooms (I always add these to the pan of veggies cause I figure it just adds more nutrients and reduces waste!) Arrange mushrooms in a greased roasting pan.
6. Transfer contents of pan, cooked quinoa and the sausage to a large bowl. Add breadcrumbs and stir to incorporate. Add Parmesan until the stuffing sticks together.
7. Fill mushrooms with the stuffing and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
8. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 30-40 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked and the parmesan on top is browned.
Extra filling saves great and doesn’t need to be cooked in the oven.

Lemongrass Chickpea Thai Green Curry with Toasted Coconut Brown Rice

This vegetarian Thai green curry is made with chickpeas, ginger, garlic, turmeric, green curry paste, and lemongrass. The ultimate bowl of healthy comfort food served over brown rice!
INGREDIENTS
  • For the brown rice:
    • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
    • 1 cup uncooked short grain brown rice
  • For the Thai green curry:
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil or coconut oil
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 3/4 cup diced green onion
    • 2 stalks lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced
    • 1 heaping cup diced carrots (about 3 large carrots)
    • 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
    • 3 tablespoons finely diced fresh basil
    • 2 tablespoons green curry paste (yellow curry paste works too! I just then decreased the amount of turmeric by half)
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (or 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground turmeric)
    • 1 (15 ounce) can lite coconut milk (or full fat)
    • 1/2 cup vegetarian broth (or water)
    • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
    • 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
    • 1 lime, juiced
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
    • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
    • 1 cup frozen peas
  • To garnish: Cilantro, green onion & hot sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. To make the brown rice: Add one cup of brown rice to a pan along with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. Toast rice over medium heat for 5 minutes until fragrant. Next and 2 1/2 cups of water to a pot; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in garlic, green onion, lemongrass, carrots, fresh ginger, and diced fresh basil. Stir fry for about 5 minute until the onions begin to slightly brown. Next add in green curry paste and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds to release flavors.
  3. Add in coconut milk, vegetarian broth, chickpeas, soy sauce, lime juice, salt and red bell pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Right before serving, stir in frozen peas. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
  4. Serve over brown rice in a bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro, green onion and a dash of hot sauce if you like things spicy. Serves 4.
NOTES

*You can leave out the lemongrass and still get fabulous flavor! I know it can be difficult to find. I usually get mine from Whole Foods.

If you’d like more protein in this dish, add another can of chickpeas, or if you aren’t vegetarian/vegan, you can add 1/2 pound of chopped cooked chicken breast. Additionally, you might be wondering, how many nectarines can I eat a day? You can also read this article if you’re interested.

Pil Pil

Our favorite dish from Southern Spain! Gambas al Pil Pil!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 (1-inch) piece dried red chili pepper, seeded or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Pinch paprika
  • Pinch Cayanne Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Directions

  • Place shrimp in bowl; sprinkle with coarse salt and toss. Let stand 15 minutes. Pat dry. Heat oil in medium skillet over high heat. Add garlic, and dried pepper and stir. When garlic browns, discard it and the dried chili. Add shrimp; stir until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to serving dish with the oil. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.
  • Serve with bread!

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork – Yum!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon (6g) kosher salt
  • 5 tablespoons dark brown sugar (2 1/4 ounces; 65g)
  • Large pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1g) ground fennel seed
  • 1 tablespoon (6g) paprika
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 whole bone-in or boneless pork butt (5 to 7 pounds; 2.25 to 3kg)
  • 1 cup ketchup (8 ounces; about 225g)
  • 1/2 cup dark molasses (4 ounces; about 115g)
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) high-quality liquid smoke, such as Wright’s (see note above)
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) brown mustard
  • 2 teaspoons (10ml) hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) cider vinegar, divided
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, finely minced (about 6 ounces; 170g)
  • 1 cup (240ml) bourbon
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock or water

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower position and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Combine salt, sugar, cayenne pepper, coriander, fennel seed, paprika, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix until homogeneous. Season pork with 2 to 3 tablespoons spice mixture, making sure to rub it on all sides. Reserve remaining spice mixture.
  2. Whisk together ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, mustard, hot sauce, and half of cider vinegar in a medium bowl. Whisk in remaining spice mixture. Set aside.
  3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. (Pork will brown fast because of the sugar. Do not let it burn.) Add onion and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until softened, about 2 minutes.
  4. Turn off burner and add bourbon. Relight burner. Carefully ignite the bourbon with a long match or lighter. (Stand back and make sure there is nothing flammable above it; it will produce tall flames.) Let cook until flames die out, about 2 minutes.
  5. Add half of sauce mixture and chicken stock or water. Cover Dutch oven, transfer to oven, and cook until pork is just starting to turn tender, about 4 hours. Remove lid and continue cooking until a knife or fork shows very little resistance when twisted inside the meat and a dark bark has formed, about 1 hour longer.
  6. Transfer pork to a large bowl, reserving liquid in pot. Using a ladle, skim off excess fat and discard. Add reserved sauce and remaining vinegar to pot and whisk to combine. When pork is cool enough to handle, shred with two forks.
  7. Transfer shredded pork to pot and toss with sauce. (If making ahead to serve over the course of several meals, store pork and sauce separately, adding sauce only to the portion you are serving immediately.) Season to taste with more salt, sugar, liquid smoke, or cider vinegar. Serve.