Turkey Stuffed Peppers

6 medium yellow, orange or sweet red peppers

olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)

1 medium onion, minced

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey

4 + cloves garlic, minced 

1 medium carrot, shredded

about a pound of sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup breadcrumbs (what I had was "Italian")

sage (about 1 1/2-2 teaspoons), other seasonings for turkey (I'm out of poultry seasoning, so I used some savory, a dash of nutmeg, and seasoned pepper)

salt and pepper to taste

 1.   Cut the tops off each pepper and reserve. Cook peppers in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from water and rinse with cold water.

2.   Remove stems from pepper tops and chop.

3.   In a large skillet (or dutch oven), warm the olive oil and brown ground turkey and onion over medium heat. Add garlic and other veggies (including reserved pepper).  Add bread crumbs and spices. Cook until vegetables are tender (the meat should be fully cooked by then).  

4.   Stuff hot meat mixture into peppers. Serve immediately.  

They are also good re-heated.

One stuffed pepper is plenty for me for a meal, but my husband eats two, so six is enough for two full meals.

This was a little too much filling to stuff into the peppers this time.  (When I used 1 lb. of beef, and different veggies, it all fit in.)

Garlic Parmesan Chicken

This time I used this recipe (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garlic-chicken/detail.aspx), and only changed it a little bit.

Mince: several cloves of garlic (at least 2 teaspoons by the time you're done)

Combine the garlic with: 1/4 cup olive oil

Cover, and let it sit for several days.  (One day would probably be enough. Or you could warm it, like in the original recipe.)

Preheat the oven to 425.

Combine: 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I used part granulated, and part grated pecorino)
                1/8 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Pound until they are the same thickness all the way across: 2 chicken breasts

Spread garlic olive oil over all surfaces of the chicken.  Use some of the left-over to grease a baking pan/casserole dish.

Coat the chicken with the cheese and crumbs.

Place the chicken in the baking pan, and bake for about 30 minutes, turning it over somewhere in the middle of that time.  (I should have turned them earlier, so the tops would be more golden.  Half-way through would be good.)

Chicken and Mushroom Saute

I found this recipe and thought it was a good starting place.  So here's what I did.

Chop 1 onion.

Mince 4 cloves of garlic.

 Slice about 12 oz. brown (crimini I think) mushrooms.

Cut 2 chicken breasts into strips.

Dredge the chicken in 1/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper.
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a non-stick pan, and fry the chicken until it seems cooked through.

 Remove the chicken from the pan.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil (if there isn't much left) and saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms, and about 1/2 teaspoon of dry thyme and a little salt.

 When the onions and mushrooms seem about done, add the chicken back in, stir it all together, and make sure the chicken is warm.

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

This is the recipe that I try to follow when I make stir-fry.  I like to use broccoli or asparagus, with whatever other vegetables I have on hand.

Mix in a small bowl:

• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Add and stir in:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry sherry

Set that bowl aside.
Prepare and set aside in another bowl:

• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (or more)
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced (or more)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Wash your vegetables, and chop them up into bite-sized pieces, making the slower-cooking ones a bit smaller than the ones that cook faster.
Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces/strips.
Heat in a wok:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Stir-fry the green onion mixture about 10 seconds.
Add the chicken and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
Add the vegetables and stir-fry about 1 minute.
Add the sauce and continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Ground Beef and Veggies

Brown and thaw at the same time (turn it over frequently scraping off the thawed/browned layer):
1 lb. lean ground beef in a couple tablespoons of olive oil

Add: 1 onion, chopped
         several cloves of garlic, chopped
         a pile of baby carrots, chopped
         a big handful of "pizza spices" (basil, oregano, marjoram, etc.)
         a small handful of thyme
         half a teaspoon to a teaspoon or so of salt
         black pepper

Continue to cook, while chopping more veggies.
Add: a huge bunch of kale, chopped
         a smallish hunk of cabbage, chopped more fine than the rest

Stir it all up, and cook over medium/low heat for 10-20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.

(After 10 minutes)

(After 15-20 minutes)

It was pretty good.  Next time, I would add more garlic and spices...maybe some red pepper flakes.