RECIPE: Stuffed Peppers

 
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Stuffed peppers are one of the easiest meals to put together. Just mix all of your favorite ingredients together in a bowl and stuff them inside a pepper. Bake in the over for awhile and voila! You’ve got a healthy, filling meal.

I like to make about a dozen of these at a time, cook one or two for a dinner on the spot, and freeze the rest, uncooked, for even faster meals in the future.

The best part about these is that you can use literally ANY ingredients that you want. The following is a very basic recipe that I go by when I make 10-12 stuffed peppers at a time. You can add more or less of any of the ingredients listed for your own unique spin on this classic recipe.

Ingredients:

  • ~10 Peppers

  • One box of Near East wild rice

  • 2 pounds of Maplebrook Farmstead ground beef

  • 1 pound of ground sweet or hot Italian sausage

  • 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

  • 1 medium sized onion, diced

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • Salt and Pepper

  • Your favorite shredded cheese (I LOVE “rustic cut” extra-sharp cheddar from Cabot)

  • Marinara sauce

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

  2. Core the peppers, rinsing out the seeds and discarding the stems. Any parts of the pepper that are edible can be saved and tossed into your stuffing mixture.

  3. In a saucepan, cook rice to the specifications on the package.

  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked rice, ground beef, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Add a hefty dash of salt and pepper.

  5. Mix together all of the ingredients thoroughly. I find its easiest to roll up your sleeves and mix by hand.

  6. Stuff your peppers.

  7. Any extra stuffing mixture can be saved and stored in the freezer sans pepper. For stuffed peppers that you’d like to save for another time, store uncooked in freezer bags in the fridge for 12-24 hours to let the flavors develop, then store in freezer.

  8. For peppers that you’ll cook now, place them in an appropriately-sized baking dish that will keep them upright as they cook. Fill the bottom of the dish with about a quarter inch of water. Cover with tinfoil.

  9. Place in over and cook for about an hour, until the stuffing sticks together in one large clump (rather than crumbling apart).

  10. Once they’re cooked, remove from oven and add marinara sauce and your favorite cheese to the top, if desired.

    Bon Appetit!

RECIPE: Grilled Spatchcock Chicken

 
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Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2- 4 pound chicken

  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

  • 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh rosemary

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • Salt & pepper

Instructions:

  1. Place chicken on a large cutting board, breast-side down. Using kitchen shears, cut along each side of the backbone and remove (save this to make bone broth).

  2. Flip over; press firmly with your palm in center of breasts to flatten.

  3. Whisk together mustard, mayonnaise, rosemary, and lemon juice.

  4. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper, then slather both sides with mustard mixture.

  5. Cover loosely and let stand while you prepare the grill (or refrigerate in a resealable bag up to 24 hours. Return to room temp 1 hour before grilling).

  6. Heat grill to 350 degrees. for direct and indirect cooking. Oil grates over indirect grilling zone, then place chicken, skin-side up, on grill with legs facing direct zone (this prevents the breasts from overcooking before the legs are done).

  7. Cover and cook, maintaining a temperature of about 350 degrees, until skin begins to brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 150 degrees.; about 45-50 minutes.

  8. Oil grates over direct-heat zone. Using tongs, flip chicken skin-side down over direct heat. Cook, moving occasionally to avoid flare-ups, until skin is charred in places and chicken is cooked through (thermometer should read 160 degrees); 5-10 minutes more.

  9. Transfer to a tray. and cover with foil. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.

RECIPE: Refreshing Summertime Sips

These thirst-quenching drinks are perfect for any summertime gathering, and can be made kid appropriate or for adults only.

Watermelon-Mint-Lime Punch:

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup lightly packed mint sprigs, plus more for serving

  • 6 cups chopped watermelon

  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice

  • tequila (optional)

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Cantaloupe-Grapefruit-Basil Punch:

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup lightly packed basil sprigs, plus more for serving

  • 6 cups chopped cantaloupe

  • 1/3 cup fresh grapefruit juice

  • Vodka (optional)

Instructions:

  1. In a small heatproof bowl, pour 1/2 cup boiling water over sugar and herbs. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

  2. Strain syrup into a blender. Discard herbs.

  3. Add melon, citrus juice, and 1 3/4 cups cold water. Blend until smooth and then strain with a fine-mesh sieve.

  4. Serve over ice, garnished with an herb sprig, or store in refrigerator for up to three days.

  5. To transform these drinks into cocktails, stir a shot (one once) of alcohol into each serving.

RECIPE: Blueberry Pie with Coconut and Lime

 
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Ingredients:

Filling:

  • 5 cups blueberries (fresh from a local farm!!)

  • 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cornstarch

  • 3/4 cup white sugar

  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice

  • Pie crust (your preferred brand or recipe)

Topping:

  • 3/4 cup flour

  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest

  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

Topping:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  2. Mix together flour, coconut, baking powder, salt, and lime zest.

  3. Separately, beat butter and brown sugar until light and creamy, about two minutes.

  4. Stir in flour mixture.

  5. With your hands, squeeze mixture into crumbly clumps.

Filling:

  1. Mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 cup of berries.

  2. In a medium saucepan, combine remaining 4 cups of berries, sugar, lime juice, salt, allspice, and remaining 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.

  3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring consistently (be sure bottom of pan isn’t burning).

  4. Remove from heat and stir in blueberry/cornstarch mixture.

  5. Spread on a baking sheet and let cool completely.

  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie crust dough into an 11-inch round. Place into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim overhang, roll under, and crimp edges. Refrigerate while waiting for filling to dry.

  • Pour berry mixture into pie crust.Crumble topping evenly over berries.

  • Bake evenly until berry mixture is bubbling, about 1-1.25 hours. Let cool completely before serving.

RECIPE: Vegetable Stock

Between March and May is the hardest time of the year in New England to source locally grown produce. Really the only foods to choose from are overwintered root vegetables, like carrots, rutabaga, and turnips, (which are delicious, but how many rutabagas can you eat in a week?!), as well greens like spinach and lettuce.

To make use of fresh produce available, as well as to best utilize your time and energy while still in winter hibernation, try your hand at making homemade vegetable stock. It is easy to do, and much faster than simmering bones for meat broths.

Directions:

Use whatever veggies you want/have on hand. It can be anything from onions, turnips, and carrots, to celery, cabbage, and mushrooms. Those wilting veggies you’ve had in the crisper drawer for far too long are the perfect ingredients.

Begin by chopping all of the veggies into fine cubes or slices. A food processor can save you a lot of time on that task. Next, fill a saucepan with twice as much water as you have vegetables. Bring to a boil and stir in the produce. Turn off the heat, cover, and let steep for about 5 minutes. Strain out the solids and, once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Use this as a base for hearty soups, risottos, or to braise greens and cook grains.

RECIPE: Simple Sloppy Joes

Perfect for a quick week-night meal, that’s guaranteed to please the whole family.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds ground beef

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1 1/4 cups water

  • 2 beef bouillon cubes

  • 1/2 cup ketchup

  • 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 3 tablespoons orange juice

  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

  • 2 tablespoons paprika

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish (optional)

Directions:

  1. Brown the ground beef; add chopped onions

  2. Add water and bouillon cubes. Simmer until the cubes are dissolved

  3. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the desired consistency is achieved

  4. Serve on hamburger buns

RECIPE: Pickled Eggs

I promise you- pickled eggs are better than they sound! This is a perfect recipe to use up small eggs, whether they be from chickens who are just starting to lay (known as pullet eggs) or from another type of poultry, such as guinea hens or quail who typically lay a smaller egg in general.

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Beet Pickled Eggs

  • 1 15 oz can of sliced beets

  • 1 C apple cider vinegar

  • 1/4 onion, sliced

  • 1/3 C sugar

  • 3 cardamom pods

  • 1 star anise

  • 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Jalapeno Pickled Eggs

  • 3/4 C apple cider vinegar

  • 3/4 C water

  • 1/4 onion, sliced

  • 1/2 C plus 1 Tbsp sugar

  • 6 cloves

  • 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced in half the long way, seeds removed

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1/2 tsp oregano

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled

  • 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Directions:

  1. Place the hard boiled eggs at the bottom of a quart-sized mason jar.

  2. In a medium pan, add the vinegar, canned beets (including juice), onion, sugar, and spices (and jalapenos and water if using that recipe).

  3. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered until the sugar has dissolved and the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).

  4. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

  5. Pour mixture over eggs. Seal the jar and store in the fridge for up to a month.

  6. The eggs will be ready to eat after a couple days. The longer you leave them to marinate in pickling juices, the stronger their flavor.

RECIPE: Broccoli and Mushroom Quiche

Quiche is a great meal any time of day, and can be easily adapted with many ingredients you may have in your home. This recipe includes broccoli and mushrooms, but those can easily be substituted for other veggies or meats.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

  • 1 1/2 C Flour

  • 3/4 tsp salt

  • 1/2 C (hard) Crisco shortening

  • A couple tablespoons of water

Filling:

  • Small head of broccoli

  • 6-8 mushrooms, sliced

  • 1/2 C shredded cheese

  • 6 eggs

  • 1 C milk

  • Salt and Pepper

Directions:

  1. To make the crust, begin by mixing together flour and salt.

  2. Cut in 1/4 cup of the shortening until the mixture has a “fine crumb” consistency.

  3. Cut it another 1/4 cup of shortening until it has a “course crumb” consistency.

  4. Add a small amount of water- somewhere around 2 tablespoons- until you can form dough into a nice smooth ball.

  5. Roll it out and lay over a 9.5 inch pie pan.

    ** The secret to success with a homemade crust is to not over-mix when adding the shortening as well as the water. **

  6. Steam broccoli and saute mushrooms as you would with any meal.

  7. Place cooked broccoli and mushrooms over the uncooked pie crust in the pan. Cover with shredded cheese.

  8. Beat together eggs and milk. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper in. Pour over ingredients in the pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

RECIPE: Chicken Poblano Chowder

Chicken Poblano Chowder

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

  • 1 cup diced onion

  • 3 Tbsp flour

  • 5 poblano peppers (or similarly mild chile peppers)

  • 2 gloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (roughly 4 cups)

  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

  • 3/4 cups heavy cream

  • Fresh cilantro (for garnish, optional)

Directions:

  1. In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the union until tender over medium heat.

  2. Add flour, peppers, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

  3. Add stock and chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked.

  4. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cheese and cream. Cook until heated through.

  5. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, and a side of tortilla chips if desired.

RECIPE: Immunity Boosting Bites

I love to create these herbal immune-boosting bites every spring to give my body an extra dose of power during the worst of tick season. This year, due to the world-wide outbreak of Coronavirus, it is even more vital to have a strong immune system and healthy body that is prepared to fight for itself. This recipe is SO SIMPLE, and a perfect opportunity to teach kids about the power of herbs and ways to keep their own bodies healthy.

All of the herbs listed in the recipe should be used in powder form. I prefer to buy all of my powered herbs through Mountain Rose Herbs.

RECIPE

  • 1/2 Cup Astragalus Root Powder

  • 1/4 Cup Eleuthero Root Powder

  • 1/4 Cup Ashwagandha Root Powder

  • 1 Tbsp Turmeric Powder

  • 1 Tbsp Ginger Root Powder + another couple Tbsp to roll balls in

  • 3/4 Cup Sunflower Butter or Tahini

  • 1/2 cup raw, local Honey

Combine wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix together until the dough is a moist consistency. Form into ~ 1 inch balls and roll in a light coating of ginger powder.

Store in the fridge and eat 2/day (They are so tasty it will be a challenge to limit yourself to just two!).

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RECIPES: Butternut Bisque and Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Butternut Squash Bisque & Glazed Brussels Sprouts

These two dishes are a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table, or a simple heart-warming meal on a cold winter’s day.

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Butternut Squash Bisque

Ingredients:

  • 1 large butternut squash (or any other variety will do- I personally like to use two delicatas, which have tremendous flavor)

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 medium onion

  • 2 carrots, diced

  • 2 cups broth (I prefer to use my own homemade chicken broth, but vegetable broth works as well)

  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (This is the essential element of this meal)

  • 1/2 cup milk or cream

** Remember! These ingredients are just a guideline for your culinary imagination.

Add as much or as little as you’d like and discover exactly what makes the flavor taste amazing to you. **

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Cut the squash in half, remove seeds, and place face-down in a baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water at the bottom.

  3. Cook the squash for ~45 minutes - 1 hour, until it is slightly brown on the top and you can easily slide a knife into the flesh.

  4. Once cool to touch, scoop out the squash with a spoon and compost the skin.

  5. In a medium-size pot, add olive over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Saute until the onions are tender.

  6. Add squash and cook for 5 more minutes.

  7. Add broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer until the carrots are tender (8-10 mins).

  8. Use a blender (I prefer an immersion blender) to puree the mixture until smooth.

  9. Return to a pot on the stove and heat on medium. Add the milk or cream.

  10. Continue to heat until bisque has reached an agreeable eating temperature.

  11. Add salt and pepper to taste.

  12. For garnish, drizzle 1-2 tbsp of cream and/or a dash of nutmeg to your dish.

  13. Enjoy!

Glazed Brussels Sprouts

I will admit that I, at 24 years old, had never eaten Brussels sprouts in my whole life until I tried this recipe. And now I can’t get enough of them! I thought that a recipe so good should not be kept a secret.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, sliced in half or quartered if large

  • 3.5 tbsp olive oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce

  • 3 tbsp REAL maple syrup

  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tbsp tahini (I didn’t have this, so I used sunflower butter)

  • 2 tsp sriracha hot sauce (I am a wuss for hot flavor, so I left this out)

Directions:

  1. Make the sauce first. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

  2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant (~ 2 mins).

  3. Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, tahini, and sriracha. Cook until the mixture is thick and smooth.

  4. Pour mixture into a jar or bowl and set aside.

  5. Using the same skillet, heat 1.5 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts and cook until golden brown and slightly crisp on all sides (~ 8 mins)

  6. Stir in half of the sauce and continue to cook for another 2-3 mins, stirring often. Add in more sauce if need be. You want a nice coating of glaze. Don’t let your Brussels sprouts swim in the sauce!

  7. Serve warm or at room temp with optional sauce on the side.

  8. Store any extra sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Let me know what kinds of personal amendments you make to these recipes, and how your meal comes out!

Bon Appétit!