Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Set oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients:
Ground Turkey
Onions
Garlic
Tomatoes, chopped
Quinoa 1 cup cooked
Salt, pepper
Dried parsley and chives
Dried Basil
Teaspoon Hot Paprika
Tomato Paste
Dash Soy Sauce
3 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp Sundried Tomato Ketchup (regular is fine)
Sriracha (depends on spice tolerance)

Clean 2-4 Bell Peppers. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ground turkey. Add tomatoes. Add spices and sauce. If you add these in order it is easier to control the consistency. Add a cup of cooked quinoa. Let cook through. Spoon mixture into peppers. I like to use stoneware because its easy to take out of the oven and put onto the table. If you use stoneware and have leftover mixture, put the mixture on the bottom and the peppers on the top. Bake 30-45 minutes.

Mahi Mahi Taco Salad with Mango Peach Salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mango Peach Salsa:
Mangos (frozen is fine)
Peaches (frozen is fine)
1/2 White Onion
Red Chilli Powder
Lemon

Chop fruit and onion into small pieces, add 1 tsp Chilli Powder and squeeze a quarter of a lemon. Place into bowl. Other fruit would work too, like pineapple.

Taco Bowl:
Find an oven safe bowl or ramekin, turn it upside down and place tortilla on top. May need to grease to keep the tortilla from sticking. Shape tortilla to bowl like a taco salad shell. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crispy.

Fish:
Mahi Mahi (4 fillets) (Other fish would work too: Tuna, Swordfish, Snapper)
Zucchini (1/2)
Olive Oil (1 tsp)
Grilled Bell Peppers (Trader Joes has a frozen version)
1/2 White Onion (sliced lengthwise)
Red Chili Powder
Cumin
Hot Paprika
Salt and Pepper
Blackening Seasoning (if you have it)
Oregano

Use a cast iron skillet or stove-to-oven stoneware. Sauté onions, zucchini, bell peppers, cumin, salt and pepper in olive oil until caramelized (if using frozen peppers, add after onions are done). Meanwhile, prepare the fish by spicing it with the paprika, salt and pepper, oregano, and blackening seasoning. Modify for spice preference! Lay fish on top of veggies in the pan and place pan in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes.

Condiments:
Plain Greek Yogurt
Shredded Cheese
Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
Sliced Lemons
Chives
Mango Peach Salsa

To serve, put shredded lettuce in the bottom of the taco shell, add fish and veggies, add toppings.

Simple Balsamic Pickled Roasted Beets (and Roasted Garlic-Beet-Tarragon Salad Dressing)

Ingredients:
6-8 golden beets, quartered, skins on (red beets fine but messy)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups balsamic or white wine vinegar, or both
Tarragon
Garlic head
Jar

Roasting the Beets (and Garlic): 
Turn oven on 400. Place beets and garlic bunch in a baking pan, pour the olive oil over them. Leave garlic bunch in oven for 20-30 minutes, the beets will take 45 minutes to an hour. Take out, let cool.

Reserve the oil for the salad dressing below. Place each beet on cutting board and either peel the skin off with your hands, or use a fork and knife.

Alternative Easy Boiling Method (not tested):
Boil beets. Place each beet on cutting board and either peel the skin off with your hands, or use a fork and knife.

Pickling the Beets:
Slice beets and place in a jar or whatever container you want for the pickled beets. Pour vinegar over beets. Add to salads during the week, or eat plain.

Salad Dressing from Reserved Olive Oil:
Pour oil from beets into a separate can to make salad dressing. Add 1/2 cup of white wine vinegar, 5 smashed roasted garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and tarragon or other herbs. Shake!

Tomato Feta Quiche

Make pie crust, add italian herb mix to dough.turn oven to 350.

Makes: 2 pies

3 cups tomatoes

2 oz feta

1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt

8 eggs

Handful basil leaves
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

Minced garlic

Salt and pepper

Blend mixture with hand mixer or regular blender. Line pie dish with dough, and place in oven for 10-15 minutes for the crust to harden.

Fill with mixture. Put in oven for 20-35 min (if it's not cooked-- leave it in longer, but check it every 5-10 minutes).

Kumquat and Meyer Lemon Marmalade

1 cup natural granulated sugar
1 cup sliced kumquats
1 whole sliced meyer lemon
1 juiced meyer lemon
Pectin-- follow the directions, I used Pomona's Universal Pectin
tsp salt
Canning jars, preferably the smaller ones made for jam. 

Place kumquats and lemons in pan and add water just so it covers them. Bring to a boil. Add sugar. Bring to a boil, allow to thicken. Add pectin. Bring to boil again.

Sterilize Cans During Process: place canning jars (the cute jam jars are the best) in room temperature water in a pot. Bring water to boil with cans and caps in there to sterilize-- this way they rise in temperature with the water and do not break. Retrieve bottles and caps, pour the kumquat and lemon mixture into 2/3 of the jar. Tighten caps. Place full jars in pot of boiling water, allow the can to boil with marmalade inside for about 10 minutes. This will vacuum seal the jar. Place in cabinet, give to friends, or in fridge. Wait until the pectin sets and use!

This marmalade is so so good! The sweetness of the meyer lemon with the tart orange-peel flavor of the kumquat works very well together.

Mine didn't come out so pretty-looking -- that's what the jar is for, right? But I tried it this morning on a piece of toast with some brie and let me tell you I was so happy. It tasted exactly how I wanted it to, and that does not happen so often with jams!

Habanero-Persimmon Hot Hot Hot Sauce

 2 Habaneros (I had one red and one orange)
1/2 Fuyu Persimmon
5 cloves roasted garlic
1/2 onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions (not too fine its going in a blender!)
1/2 - 1 cup white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 lime, juiced

Place all ingredients in a blender, or if you have a hand blender place in a measuring cup. Done. This stuff is so hot, and very flavorful.

I got the recipe (sans persimmons) in Belize at the Palapa Bar. The bar was out of hot sauce so the chef went in the back and whipped this up. Amazing!


Last year I purchased a "VIPER VENOM HOT" sauce that is best described as very mild. So I poured it out and replaced the contents with this hot sauce instead. I thought it was a bit more appropriate for the name ;p.

Homemade Tortillas

I tried making tortillas before, unsuccessfully. I had great success with this one.  This recipe is modified from:  http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2013/08/best-ever-homemade-flour-tortillas/.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup warm water

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients. Continue to mix for 1 minute or until dough is smooth.
2. Transfer from mixing bowl to a well-floured work surface. Divide dough in half, then in half again. Continue until you have 16 fairly equal portions. Form each piece into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand as much as possible. If dough is sticky, use a bit more flour. Cover flattened balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes before proceeding.
3. After rest period, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Roll each dough piece into a rough circle, about 6-7 inches in diameter, keep work surface and rolling pin lightly floured. Don’t stack uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will get soggy.
4. Use a rolling pin to completely flatten the flattened dough, then fold over into a small square (this gives the tortilla a layer-like consistency). Roll out into a circle as best you can.
5. When pan is very hot, place one dough circle into pan and allow to cook about 1 minute or until bottom surface has a few pale brown spots. The uncooked surface will begin to show a few little bubbles. If tortilla is browning too fast, reduced heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on underside of tortillas, increase heat a bit. Flip to other side and cook for about 30 seconds. You want the tortilla to be soft but have a few small pale golden brown spots on surface. Remove from pan with tongs and stack in a covered container or zippered bag till all tortillas are cooked. This will keep them soft and pliable.