Sunday, April 20, 2014

The BEST Stuffed Bell Peppers yet!

I have been wanting to make stuffed bell peppers recently but I was having a hard time finding the right recipe. I finally found one I liked but I still modified it a bit. I've made it twice already. It is pretty easy to make and it is so delicious. It surprisingly makes great leftovers as well.  Hope you guys like it. I got the original recipe from I Heart Nap Time.



Ingredients:

4 bell peppers halved length wise, ribs removed
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 pound grown turkey or ground beef
1 small onion
1 large tomato or 2 small tomatoes
1 14 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1/2 TB cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 TB olive oil
1/2 cup mozzarella shredded cheese or Italian blend cheese


And by the way, as I've stated before I really dislike tomatoes. But the tomatoes tasted really good in these. The seasoning made them blend right in and I didn't pick a single one out. Wahoo! I'm growing up.


Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook until translucent ( about 3 minutes). Add in meat and cook until browned. Drain any excess grease.
  2. Add in black beans, tomatoes, rice, cumin, salt and pepper if desired. Stir until it's heated through. Try not to eat it by the spoonful. It is so delicious!
  3. Heat oven to 375. Place peppers in 13 x 9 baking dish. Spoon in filling and top with grated cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. I put the peppers on a cookie sheet and make a tent with the foil. Either way works.
  4. Remove from oven and enjoy! You can serve it with sour cream or salsa if desired.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Honey Lime Shrimp

I am all about easy make ahead dinners. When my little guy is asleep I try to do whatever I can to get dinner prepared. Yesterday, I decided to make a honey lime shrimp marinade for dinner. It was delicious. I only had enough time to let it marinade for 30 minutes before I cooked it but that was all it really needed because it tasted great. Today, I had a little bit of time this afternoon so I decided to make it again. It only takes about 5 minutes to get the marinade put together and then you just let it sit in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it and it only takes a few minutes to cook. What could be easier?



I originally wanted to cook the shrimp on the grill but I was too anxious to eat it that I just dumped the whole bag of shrimp with the marinade into the pan to cook. It was delicious. I followed the recipe and just used 1/2 lb of shrimp but it was not really enough for two people. We each got about 7 pieces of shrimp. I would suggest doubling the recipe for two people.

I got the recipe from The Dough Will Rise Again


Ingredients:
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T honey
juice of one small lime, or half a large lime (2-3 T)
zest of one small lime, or half a large lime
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
1.) In a large ziploc bag, combine all the marinade ingredients. When everything is well-combined, add the shrimp, squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag, and close it up. Place it in the fridge.


2.) Let the shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes, flipping the bag around once or twice during that time, so that all the shrimp stay evenly covered in the marinade.

3.) When you’re ready to cook, take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; there is no need to add any oil or butter to the pan, as the marinade has enough oil in it to keep the shrimp from sticking to the pan. (If you would prefer to use the grill for these, you can thread them onto skewers and toss them on the grill at this point.)



 4.) Add your shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure they are not too crowded; you can always cook them in more than one batch. Let them cook on one side for about a minute, until they curl up and start to turn pink. Flip them over, and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from the pan, and serve immediately!

I served our shrimp with a ceasar salad and green bean casserole. It was a great meal that took little preparation. I love those kind of dinners!