My Taste of Yellow
Tonight I decided to go ahead and do my LiveStrong Taste of Yellow dish, which is referred to in an earlier blog post of mine. I encourage everyone with a food blog to do the same!
Yellow foods provide excellent benefits, like supplying carotenoids, which can improve your eye health as well as protect against cardiovascual disease and some cancers. When I really think about it, I don't eat enough yellow foods, so I will definitely try to add these to my diet more often!
Typically when I make stuffed peppers, I make the standard "gemista" I grew up on, which are basically ground beef, tomatoes, rice and seasonings stuffed into a green pepper. Today I decided to make stuffed yellow peppers, and I made them sort of Mexican/southwestern in flavor. I have to say, they were delicious!
I also wanted to make sure they were very nutritious. I used chicken sausage (TJ's chipotle flavored) instead of pork, brown rice instead of white, and salsa and chicken broth have basically no calories. So there is a good protein, a complex carb, and some veggies!
Stuffed Yellow Peppers
4-6 yellow peppers
EVOO
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 links chipotle chicken sausage, or other Mexican-style or spicy sausage, casings removed
3/4 cup salsa (I used a chunky version, use less if you are using a smoother/more liquid type)
1/2 cup chicken broth
cumin/chili powder/salt & pepper to taste (this will depend on how flavorful your sausage already is)
1/2 cup rice, cooked or par-cooked
1 cup cheddar/Mexican/manchengo/whatever kind of cheese you want
Preheat oven to 375.
Cut lids off peppers. Remove core, and place on a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan sprayed with oil. Spray peppers lightly, too.
Heat EVOO in a skillet. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and sausage. Crumble and brown sausage.
Stir in salsa, chicken broth and seasonings. Add rice and simmer for a couple minutes, absorbing some of the liquid. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
Fill peppers with mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
For a side, I made some black beans. I have to say that only in the past couple of years have I really started eating beans. I used to dislike them (or think I disliked them) but I have slowly introduced them into my diet and I really enjoy them. However, I tend to throw beans in something, as opposed to making them a side of their own. Tonight I went for a side dish and I think this is probably my new favorite way to eat black beans.
Black Beans
olive oil or canola oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup chicken broth
squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional)
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil to a shimmer. Stir in the onions and cook until tender. Add garlic and tomato paste and saute an additional minute. Add half the beans and mash them slightly, with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher.
Add remaining beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, cumin, chili powder and oregano. Simmer 15 minutes. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top.
You'll have to excuse the terrible picture of this. It's not the prettiest looking thing but it tastes great.
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