ROASTED SWEET POTATOES STUFFED WITH QUINOA AND SPINACH

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 6 cups of baby spinach – roughly chopped
• 1 clove of garlic – minced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup of pecan pieces
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 to 2 ounces of feta cheese – diced
• 6 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
• A pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice sweet potatoes evenly in half length wise. Coat them with a little olive oil and place face down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Roast sweet potatoes for 30 to 40 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and soft.
4. I used pre-cooked quinoa that I had on hand. If you are making the quinoa, prepare 1/2 cup of dry quinoa as per the package instructions. I usually cook quinoa in vegetable broth or add a 1/2 a bouillon cube for extra flavor.
5. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, add olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and half the spinach and cook until wilted and then add the rest of the spinach to the pan and cook until it’s wilted – about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Stir cooked quinoa, pecans, cranberries, black pepper and salt into spinach mixture.
7. Gently toss feta into quinoa spinach mixture.
8. When sweet potatoes are ready, remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Test for doneness – they should be soft and indent slightly when squeezed. If they are not done, put them back into the oven for an extra 5 or 10 minutes.
9. Let the sweet potatoes cool slightly so they are easy to handle. With a small spoon, gently press down on the center of the sweet potatoes to create a small indentation that is the length of the sweet potato.
10. Spoon quinoa and spinach mixture evenly over sweet potatoes and serve.

Source : greenvalleykitchen

Franken-Peppers (Stuffed Peppers with Potatoes and Chorizo)

Only 23 days left until Halloween and I have a confession to make. I was done with my Halloween recipes for this year. In fact, I'd already moved the recipes that I didn't get to this year, to my list of ideas for next year. I even went so far as to take down my dining room decorations (eek!) so I could begin planning my Thanksgiving table and decorations. So when I found myself home last week and made these little monsters, I was surprised that they came together so easily and that they turned out so creepy-cute and yummy! 
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I may still have a few more Halloween recipes in me to share before the big day, Oct 31st!

The beauty of this idea is that these peppers can be stuffed with basically anything. Go traditional with ground beef and rice, or make breakfast with scrambled eggs and ham, or even add taco meat, beans, cheese, and salsa for a delicious taco salad over a bed cabbage. How about Indian spiced lentils and tandoori chicken...Yum! Change up the green pepper to orange peppers and carve out some jack-o-lanterns like these. The possibilities are endlessly delicious and fun!

Bell peppers are one of my favorite ingredients and I use them in many of my recipes. But, I know not everyone likes bell peppers, including my kiddos. Not to worry. The best part about this dish and all it's variations, is that it'll save you from having to pick these little buggers out of your kid's food. Just eat the filling and leave the pepper behind! At least that's how I'll sell this dish to my kids.
All kiddo-ing aside, these will make a great addition to a festive Halloween dinner as the perfect side dish or as a stunning main dish. Personally, I like the idea of these delicious potatoes getting so much attention with such a fun presentation because, side dishes are often better than the main course. Happy Halloween!

Franken-peppers (Stuffed Peppers with Potatoes, Chorizo and Onions)

Serves 4

2 T canola oil
6 medium potatoes, peeled, medium dice
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T smoked paprika
1 t. cumin
salt and pepper (to taste)
8 oz. Chorizo (I used Soy Chorizo)
green onions, chopped
cilantro leaves  
Spicy Tomato Sauce, or substitute with prepared Enchilada Sauce
4 Green Bell Peppers, carved
Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

Spicy Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3 T tomato paste 
1/2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T honey
1 t. cumin
1 t. smoked paprika
salt and pepper (to taste)
red chili flakes (to taste)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large skillet, add canola oil, potatoes, onions and garlic, cumin and smoked paprika and cook over medium heat until potatoes are mostly done, about 10 minutes. It's okay if they are not completely cooked as they will finish cooking in the oven. Add chorizo and heat until hot. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Add green onions and cilantro. Set aside.
 An a small saucepan, add all ingredients for the Spicy Tomato Sauce and heat over medium heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Taste and add additional spices as needed to taste. 

Cut Bell Peppers tops off with a paring knife in a zig-zag pattern to make Frankenstein's hairline. Carefully remove top and remove remaining ribs from inside the bell pepper with your fingers or scrape with a spoon. Cut off seeds from the top and set aside.

Using a large diameter straw, push straw through the fleshy inside of the pepper to create Frankenstein's eyes, using your finger on the shiny outside as resistance, to help cut through the exterior. 

Cut out eyebrows, nose and mouth with the paring knife and add scars with the tip of the blade.

Assembly: 
Baste the inside of bell peppers generously with the spicy tomato sauce. Fill each bell pepper with potato chorizo mixture and replace the tops. Place stuffed peppers in a shallow casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cook peppers for 30-35 minutes. 

Remove peppers from oven and add shredded Pepper Jack Cheese to tops of peppers and return to the oven. Bake an additional 10 minutes or place under the broiler to melt cheese. Remove from oven and serve. 

For other Halloween recipes to try, click here. 

Spider Caviar

Nightcrawlers con Funghi

Potato and Cauliflower Gratin

It had been about three weeks since I'd last talked to my mom. Daily life, weekends brimming with things to do, obligations, homework and all around exhaustion taking hold at the end of each day prevented us from talking as frequently as we would've liked. So last Saturday was the day we scheduled to be able to talk and catch up. Yes, we actually had to calendar the phone call.
My husband and the boys were at an early morning Cub Scout event and I was out running errands when she called. I was expecting her call even though I was at the grocery store. It was early and there weren't too many folks there at that time of the morning. But despite my opinion that people who talk on cell phones in public are rude, I was one of those rude people.  It couldn't be helped or rather at least I didn't care all that much if I was being rude. I wanted to talk to my mom. We talked and talked as I shopped the aisles. The epitome of rudeness, I know. Yeah, I even checked out with my phone stuck to my ear, completely ignoring the checker! Yikes.
We talked and laughed as I made my way home. (Hands free of course!)  We talked about my boys, talked about the food, what we got on sale, and the new recipes we'd tried recently. What was good. What wasn't. She told me about this recipe, from Cuisine at Home that she adapted by adding cauliflower along with the potatoes to this Potato Gratin to make this amazingly delicious Potato and Cauliflower Gratin! The original recipe calls for Swiss cheese, which I didn't have at home, but she told me that she just uses any cheese she has on hand. So I used a blend of Asiago, Havarti and White Cheddar, since I had a little bit of each and it was incredible! Can't go wrong with Asiago and Havarti cheeses!
I made these creamy, cheesy, yummy potatoes that night and it was just what I needed to soothe my weary soul, comfort food and a long phone call with my mom. The perfect day! Thanks Mom, I love you.

Potato and Cauliflower Gratin (adapted recipe from Cuisine at Home)
Makes 8 cups

6 cups potatoes, cut into even chunks
2 cups cauliflower, cut into even pieces
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 T garlic, minced
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
1 cup Swiss cheese (I used Asiago, Havarti and White Cheddar)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Bring potatoes, milk, cream, onion, garlic, and seasonings to a boil in a large saucepan. reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Layer half the potatoes and cauliflower in a greased, 4 quart casserole dish and top with half the cheese. Repeat layering: pour milk and cream mixture on top. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Let stand 10-20 minutes before serving.