Stuffed Banana Peppers, Turkey Hash & Roasted Broccoli

First, I heated the oven to 450 and tossed a few spears of fresh broccoli in to roast. I sprayed them with olive oil spray and put them in my paella pan. I made sure to leave one side of the pan clear of any oil so I could add the peppers later to finish.

In a skillet, I sauteed 1/4 onion and 1 clove of garlic, minced, in 2 tsp of olive oil. I added  4 ounces of ground turkey to saute. I took two small new potatoes I had boiled earlier and sliced them finely and added and sauteed until done. When the oil was fully absorbed, rather than adding more oil, I added 1 TBSP of water to keep everything from sticking, putting the lid on with the steaming water made the flavors blend together beautifully.

While the onions were sauteeing for the has, I started the peppers by slicing the tops off three banana peppers and cleaning them out. I nuked them for 30 seconds in the microwave so they were soft and pliable when I stuffed them The stuffing is one small zucchini grated with about 1 TBSP of roaste red pepper, chopped fine, 1/4 of sour cream, salt, pepper and dill weed. I added them to the pan in the oven and when the hash was done, so were the the broccoli and peppers.

 

 

 

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Center Cut Pork Chop with Savory Cherry Sauce, Fennel & Red Cabbage Slaw and Watermelon Salad

This was actually tossed together in minutes. I made the savory cherry sauce a few days earlier. The watermelon salad was all done ahead and I simply added the feta at the last minute. Likewise, the fennel-cabbage slaw was made ahead.

I heated a cast-iron skillet to medium high, tossed the pork chop on and let it cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes, then turned it and let if finish cooking, about another 4 minutes. The secret to good, juicy pork chops (or any meat, really) is to resist the temptation to press on it with the spatula and to let it just cook without a lot of flipping. My mom said meat lost 1/4 of its juiciness every time it was turned and I believe it.

• Watermelon Salad
• Cabbage Fennel Slaw
• Cherry Sauce

 

Pierogies, Salad and Cherry Vinaigrette

I had some leftover chicken stock from soup and I heated it up and cooked the pierogies in it. While the pierogies cooked, I made a simple salad with some cranberry beans I boiled and drained and cooled in the fridge earlier. I tore up some lettuce, tossed thinly sliced red onion and red cabbage in the mix with some cherry vinaigrette on top. I served the pierogies on the side with salt, pepper, dry dill weed and a dollop of sour cream

 

Fruit Plate Breakfast

The easiest and tastiest breakfast ever. I cleaned the fruit, pitted the cherries, cut up a nectarine and four figs and served with 3 oz. of chevre.

 

Modavia Fresh Tomato Soup and Fennel Cabbage Slaw

I am calling this Modavia Fresh Tomato Soup because I made it while watching a show during Modavia Fashion Week. It was super easy to make. I tossed a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan with some a half an onion and a clove of garlic, chopped. After the onion softened, I added three tomatoes cut in big chunks and 1 cup of water. When they broke down, I added 1 cup of fresh basil, chopped, and put a lid on for 15 minutes. I tossed it in my Magic Bullet and pureed. It made one bowl of soup.

The Fennel Slaw recipe is from Jeff Mauro’s Sandwich King show on Food Networkm except he included parsley which I left out. I don’t much like parsley.

• 1 1/2 cups red cabbage, sliced thin
• 1 medium bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced, save fronds for garnish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

 

Wings with Savory Blackberry Sauce and Lettuce Salad with Nectarines, Green Beans & Cherry Vinaigrette

Start a pot of oil heating. Take about a pound of chicken wings (six wings) and cut them into drummies. To do this, you cut the two big sections apart until you get to the joint, then bend them back and pop the joint and cut the rest of the way through. Chop off the wingtip as it will just get charred. In a bowl, mix together about 11/2 tsp each of cayenne, pepper and salt. Add about 1.5 tsps of cornstarch. Toss the wings in and spread and toss them until they are coated with spices. Toss them into the fryer and let them cook until done and then drain on paper towels. This makes 3 servings, but will taste so good, for sure you will have seconds or thirds.

Making the sauce is easy. I put a couple tablespoons of white wine in a sauce pan. I cut two 1/8 inch thin slices off a medium onion and chopped very fine and tossed it in the wine. After the onions softened, I added a cup of blackberries and used a fork to crush them slightly. I added just a touch of salt.

For the salad, I cooked some green beans in the microwave for just a few minutes. This cooks them perfectly for salads as they become tender but aren’t in any fluid for them to absorb. I chopped up a couple nectarines and red onions and added them to romaine lettuce. I sprinkled a little chevre on it and added a cherry vinaigrette made ahead.

The vinaigrette is made from 2 pounds of cherries cooked with one finely sliced and diced onion, a cup of white win, 2 tsp of tarragon and 2 tsp of dry mustard cooked together nicely with just a bit of balsamic vinegar added at the end to taste. i used about 2 TBSP.