5 Things

1. If the government defaults on their loans, can I default on my student loan payments? I mean, it's only fair. 

2. My friend Melody made a great point on Facebook that 100 degree days should be the "snow days" of summer. What an excellent idea. Let's start a petition. 


3. I think essays should be graded with an equal amount of effort to which they were written. Which means, I should be grading most of these finals while drinking pina coladas by the pool...I'm sure my comments will then make about as much sense as their sentences. (No, this semester wasn't frustrating at all. Why do you ask?)  


4. Why can't I stop watching The Bachlorette and The Bachelor? ? I say every year that I'm not going to watch it and I get sucked into the ridiculousness every time. That said, my vote's for Ben. I mean, he owns a vineyard in Sonoma for goodness sake. 


5. I want to be here: 

Especially after this week. But for now, I will be happy to, in about week, be in my Grandma's pool. 

That's it for now. Haven't done much cooking this week, though I did make some fresh salsa that I'll post soon. Also, it's final essay grading time so I'll be collecting some funny quotes to share later next week! 

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Update: Over the past year or two I have been learning a lot about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on our food supply that is concerning to me. Therefore, I can no longer support companies such as Morningstar that openly admit to using GMO ingredients in their products. I am currently looking for suitable substitutes to use in recipes like the one below. For more information on GMOs and alternatives to purchase, please check out Non-GMO Project.  

I'm honestly not a huge fan of green bell peppers. Why do I have them growing in my garden you ask? Good question. I get a little over zealous in the planting phase each year. Of course, the one thing I like the least in the garden is doing just fine. In the meantime, the cucumbers died within days, my squash has all but bit the dust, my basil is wilting, and I'm in a battle with stink bugs over the tomatoes. But those peppers, they are just fine. So in trying to use up several at one time, I went for stuffed peppers. There are so many directions one could go with that, but I was feeling tex-mex that particular evening. 

Ingredients:  
4 large bell peppers (any color variety would do), cut in half and core and seeds removed
1 package Morningstar Griller Crumbles (or the fake burger of your choice)
1 can vegetarian refried beans 
1 package taco seasoning (or some cumin and chili powder will do) 
about 1/2 cup salsa
1 small can sliced olives (optional)
some grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and make two rows of pepper halves. 

While the oven is heating, in a skillet heat the griller crumbles and when thawed, add the beans, salsa, and taco seasoning and mix together well and let simmer for a couple minutes til hot. Fill each pepper with the mixture and then top with olives and sprinkle with cheese (cheddar is what I used here, but whatever you like is fine). 

Pop into the oven for about 20-30 minutes. Even though I'm not a big fan of peppers, I still really enjoyed these. Brian gave them a big thumbs up too, but he actually likes bell peppers.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Avocado Ranch

I have stink bugs. Apparently, they are like little buggy vampires. They suck the life out of tomatoes and leave the flavorless remains behind for me. What does one do about this? Standing in the yard wearing a garlic necklace while holding a cross and throwing holy water will probably only serve to earn me the craziest neighbor award - which in my neighborhood would be quite the accomplishment. The novice gardener that I am, I resorted to using the only bug killer I know - Seven Dust. So much for organic gardening.

Since I don't have any ripe tomatoes worth eating and to console my gardening woes, I made fried green tomatoes. And to make it even more comforting, I made an avocado ranch dressing for dipping. Isn't it a pretty color?

For Tomatoes:

• 3-4 green tomatoes, sliced semi-thick 
• about 1/2 cup corn meal
• about 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• flour
• 1 egg
• about 1/4 milk  or buttermilk
• cajun seasoning
•  pinch of salt 
• oil for frying 

For Dressing:

• 1 ripe avocado
• about 1/2 ranch dressing
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
• about a tsp or so of cajun seasoning 
• a few splashes of hot sauce 

 Mix the corn meal, bread crumbs, salt, and some cajun seasoning on a plate. Put some flour on another plate and in a bowl beat an egg and the milk. Lightly coat the tomatoes in flour and then dip in the egg and finally coat them with the bread crumbs and corn meal. Make sure the oil is nice and hot and fry on each side until nicely brown. Remove from pan and place on some paper towels to catch some of the excess oil. 

Dressing: In a food processor combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. How easy is that? 


May all your gardens be stinkbug free.

Tortilla Soup with Roasted Corn and Black Beans

I know I've posted a tortilla soup before, but I had this idea to add to a couple things to the basic version just to change it up a bit. You can find the original recipe here. The only other thing you need to do is roast about 3-4 ears of corn and open a can of black beans. If you have a grill, then definitely use it to grill the corn, then remove it from the cob and add to the soup. If not, then roasting it in the oven will do. Also make sure to rinse and drain the beans before adding. The addition of the corn and beans makes the soup a little heartier. 

Top it all off with tortilla strips, grated cheese, and fresh cilantro. Does anyone else get a little high from the smell of fresh cilantro? 

No? OK. Just wondering. Me neither...

Enchilada Casserole

Update: Over the past year or two I have been learning a lot about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food supply that is concerning to me. Therefore, I can no longer support companies such as Morningstar that openly admit to using GMO ingredients in their products. I am currently looking for suitable substitutes to use in recipes like the one below. For more information on GMOs and alternatives to purchase, please check out Non-GMO Project. 

Sometimes, I just don't want a challenge. Rolling enchiladas is one of those times. For some reason, it never seems to go well - tortillas crack, filling spills out, I cry. It's not a pretty sight. If anyone has any tips on this matter feel free to share. In the meantime, I will stick to my comfortable, unambitious way. You could also think of it as an enchilada lasagne. Now how's that for fusion? 

Ingredients: 

• 12 organic corn tortillas
• 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cans enchilada sauce 
• 1 package vegetarian burger substitute 
• 1 onion, chopped
• about 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded 
• 1 can black olives, optional 
• cumin
• chili powder 

Heat oven 350. 

 Heat some oil in a skillet and cook the onion for a couple minutes. Then add the burger, season with cumin and chili powder, and cook for a couple more minutes.  

Meanwhile, I mix the enchilada sauce and tomato sauce in a medium bowl and dip each tortilla in the sauce. Line a 9x12 casserole dish with six of the tortillas. Next top with half of the meat and onions and then half the cheese and the olives if you like. I know olives are not a traditional thing to add to enchiladas, but in this it just feels right. Repeat the layers a second time. When finished pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbling around the edges. 

This is a good, basic version. You could be creative and add whatever you like. I've also added beans to this in the past and it works just fine. I like to eat it with corn for some reason. It's also great with some guacamole. Makes great lunch left-overs, too.  

Mmmmm, tomatoes!

 

Thick slices of garden tomatoes, hearty, toasted bread, and cream cheese - this is one of my favorite breakfasts or snacks. When I lived in Spain, I used to eat this all time for breakfast (if I made it to breakfast). Sprinkle a little salt over the top and it's all set. Any kind of cheese will probably do just fine. Mmmmmm.   

Caprese Pasta

I hope everyone had a great July 4th holiday. I spent a lovely and relaxing weekend at my Grandma's house back home in Arkansas full of sun, the pool, great food, and watching Frazier (the dog) run around in the country. Why can't all holidays be in the summer? Or why can't I live somewhere where it felt like summer on all the holidays? Ah well. 


So tonight I made a caprese pasta, inspired by the more common caprese salad. If you have never had a caprese salad before, you don't know what you're missing. I had one for the first time in Italy and it was life-changing. OK, maybe not life-changing, but it was freakin' awesome. It's basically tomato slices, slices of fresh mozzarella, and basil drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a little salt. The key here is in season, super good quality ingredients. This should only be made in the summer when you have access to garden tomatoes and basil. Otherwise, you are wasting your time. That goes for this pasta as well. 


Ingredients:

• 1 package Penne pasta (I use the whole-grain version)
• 5-6 ripe, garden fresh tomatoes on the small side, quartered or cut smaller if you prefer
• about 10-12 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped but left fairly large
• fresh mozzarella, chopped or broken into small pieces, amount depends on how much cheese you like
• 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 or more tbsp balsamic vinegar 
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Don't forget to add salt to the cooking water. Save a tiny bit of the cooking water before draining. 


When the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a pan over med-low heat. Add the garlic and let cook for just a couple minutes. When the pasta is done, put in into a large serving bowl. Pour the garlic and olive oil over the pasta and add about a fourth cup or less of the cooking water. Now, add the remaining ingredients and toss together. Make sure to taste for salt and add more vinegar if you like. 


Serve with a crusty piece of french bread and dive into a bowl of summer bliss.