All-in-One Cheesy Pepper Cups

Although I started my vegetable garden later than expected this year, I managed to grow some delicious vegetables like sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, and herbs. 

One of my favorite ways to cook sweet bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow-colored ones) is by stuffing and then baking them. The flesh gets soft when you grill or char it and then you can stuff it with whatever you want. 

I've made this dish several times but never wrote the recipe down. My mom nudged me to share it since I'm always at her back to write all of her recipes so I can make them at my leisure. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do. 

Ingredients

• 3 Bell peppers (red, orange, and/or yellow can be used) 
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 10 oz mushrooms (Baby Bell or white button mushrooms), chopped
• 1 tomato (vine or plum variety), finely chopped
• 8 oz fresh spinach* leaves
• 1/2 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
• 1/2 to 1 tsp salt (adjust salt as per your taste)
• 1.5 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup cooked rice* (plain or brown)
• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese (or mozzarella cheese)

Instructions

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add ginger-garlic paste and onions. Saute them until the onions are translucent, and then add garam masala, turmeric powder, and chili powder. Mix well. 

• Reduce the heat to low-medium and add mushrooms. Cover with lid and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until mushrooms reduce in size. Remove the lid and add tomato and salt and cook for a few more minutes. Next, add spinach and cook uncovered until the leaves are wilted and the mixture is not as watery. 

• Lastly, add the cooked rice or your favorite carb like quinoa or brown rice. Mix well and remove from heat. 

• Chop the bell peppers in half so you end up with 6 halves (or cups) so they can be stuffed. Then place them on a dinner plate, season each pepper cup with a little salt, and microwave them for 4 to 5 minutes. Let them cool down. 

• Grill/char the halves on a griddle or flat pan to your liking. Transfer the pepper cups to the desired baking sheet/dish safe to use in the oven. Sprinkle cheese into each of the grilled pepper cups. 

• Scoop about 1/3 cup of stuffing into each pepper cup. You can stuff as much as you want. 

• Sprinkle the top of each stuffed pepper with more cheese. 

• Preheat oven to 350 °F and bake peppers for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

• The stuffed peppers are ready to be served. I can easily eat one to two pepper halves for lunch or dinner. 

Quick Tips

1. Frozen spinach can be used but make sure that you pick up frozen spinach leaves. 
2. You can substitute with quinoa as well. 
3. You can make the stuffing, while you are preparing the bell peppers.  
4. I sometimes add some cheese to the stuffing to hold it together. 

I like using red, orange, and yellow bell peppers because they have a sweeter flavor than the green ones. Add some cooked lentils or legumes to increase the nutritional value of this recipe. I like making this dish because it is heart-healthy and you can use up whatever vegetables and/or rice you have on hand for the stuffing. 

Please feel free to share your comments about this recipe. Let us know if you end up making it or have any questions. 🙏

🎊🎉🎇 Happy Holidays 🎇🎉🎊

Season's Greetings

 

May the timeless message of Christmas fill your heart and home with joy now and throughout the coming year.

Lime and Coconut Rasam

Rasam is a South Indian dish that is typically eaten with rice. Did you know there are 25 variations of rasam? A well-known rasam that is offered in most Indian restaurants is Mulligatawny soup (made with pepper). 

How many rasams can you name? Which ones have you tried? We like eating rasam because it is warm and soothing. It is not a seasonal dish and can be enjoyed throughout the year. 

Below is a recipe for Lime and Coconut Rasam. We hope you enjoy it. 

 

Ingredients

- 1 Plum tomato, diced into cubes

- 1 Tbsp Coconut Milk Powder (or 2 to 3 Tbsp of unsweetened coconut milk if coconut milk powder is not available)

- ½ Tbsp Madras Rasam Powder

- 1 lime, juiced

- ½ Tbsp Salt

- 400 ml Water

- Finely chopped Fresh Coriander for garnish

Ingredients for Seasoning (Taalimpu):

- 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- ½ tsp Whole Cumin seeds
- A pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)

Instructions

1. Blend together tomato, coconut powder, rasam powder, and water to mix well. (Hint: mix the coconut powder with a little bit of water so when it is mixed into the tomato sauce, it doesn't clump). 
2. Transfer the mixture into a (2qt) medium saucepan and add salt. Bring the rasam mixture to a boil on medium heat (approx. 5 to 7 minutes). Continue to boil for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. 
3. Add the lime juice and mix well. 
4. In a smaller saucepan (tadka pan), heat oil on low-medium heat. When you feel the heat on your palm, add mustard and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add hing. After about 1-2 minutes, remove from heat, and add directly to the rasam. Add chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or as soup with croutons.

Quick Tips

• If using unsweetened coconut milk from a can, please make sure to mix the contents before use. 
• Instead of using a blender, cook the tomatoes with little water for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave, and add it to the coconut powder paste. Mix the rasam powder, water, and salt and continue from step 2. 

Carrot and Almond Kheer

There's just a week left of 2020! Who is ready to say Goodbye to this year and say Hello to 2021? 

We are going to take the next 7 days to reflect and think about our goals for next year. This year has been tough on everyone.  Thank you for your continued support. 

Check out this quick and easy kheer made with carrots and almonds. It is gluten-free and not much sugar. 

Ingredients

- 200g (or 7 oz) of carrots

- 1 cup of milk

- 25g or slightly less than 1/4 cup of granulated sugar

- 6 to 7 cardamom pods, seeded and powdered

- 2 Tbsp Almond flour (or use 7 to 8 almonds, soaked and skin removed)

- 3 drops of Vanilla extract

Instructions

• Wash and peel the carrots and then slice them into 1/2" thick pieces. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 4 minutes. Transfer the cooked carrots into the blender*, add milk, sugar, cardamom powder, almond flour, vanilla extract, and blend into a smoothie consistency.  

• Pour into a microwaveable bowl and heat it for 2 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave until the kheer (pudding) bubbles up. 

• Serve hot. 

Quick Tips

- We used the Vitamix blender and blended the ingredients on Smoothie mode; about 90 seconds. 

- For a creamier taste, you can use whole milk or 2 Tbsp of heavy cream.