I have constantly been craving “gigantes” (baked Greek white beans) the past couple of weeks…they are easily one of my favorite side dishes. So instead of blowing more euros at restaurants, I poked around for the best recipe. I found that Bobby Flay’s recipe was ON POINT, and it’s love at first bite!
Cinnamon Buckwheat pancakes with honey, almond butter and fresh strawberries. Ahhhh, “brinner” ♥
Feta, Parmesan and Lemon Zest Stuffed Sweet Yellow Peppers (*courtesy of Saveur)
I first tried these at a recent “Girl’s Night In” that my dear friend Sarah hosted. She is the typical domestic goddess and always has delicious and interesting things for us to snack on while we schlep around and have drinks. These peppers had us all in love (something about the lemon zest, I think). I had to have the recipe. I tried it out on this lazy Sunday evening and they are just as delicious as I remembered. Check ‘em out…
Ingredients
4 large, sweet yellow peppers
8 oz. feta, crumbled2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1⁄2 tsp. lemon zest
1⁄4 tsp. dried oregano
2 egg yolks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Arrange a rack 6” from the broiler element and set oven to broil.* Put peppers on a baking sheet and broil, turning once, until just soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack; let cool.
2. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip feta, oil, yogurt, parsley, zest, oregano, and egg yolks; season with salt and pepper.
3. Make a lengthwise cut from the stem to the tip of each pepper; scoop out seeds and ribs. Stuff each pepper with some of the feta filling; transfer to an aluminum foil—–lined baking sheet; chill for 30 minutes.
4. Sprinkle peppers with grated cheese; broil peppers until cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 6 minutes. Transfer peppers to a platter and serve hot.
Serves 4-6.
Spice Market in Marrakesh….
I’ve been back from Morocco for a few weeks now, but I am still reminiscing. It was entirely too dope of an experience. I went with a great bunch of people and we saw things we never imagined we would. Marrakesh and the coast town of Essaouira are a must see.
I had a crazy craving for Chipotle Crab Enchiladas con Crema (with cream). Definitely not something I can eat often, unless I want to be a slave to the treadmill. This is a dish you bust out when you crave gooey, cheesy goodness. Easy to make and packed with all kinds of flavor, you can’t not dig these enchiladas. Check ‘em out…
1 red onion, chopped
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1 tbsp good olive oil
salt, to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 small can chopped black olives
1 small can green chilies
Canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, to taste
1 pound fresh crabmeat (NOT imitation)
8 ounces shredded Colby cheese
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can green enchilada sauce
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. On medium-high heat in a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until transparent. Add in cumin and cayenne pepper and allow spices to cook. Reduce heat to medium and stir in crabmeat, chilies, olives and chipotle pepper. Add half of Colby cheese into crabmeat and mix well.
3. In another skillet, warm each tortilla to soften. You can also stack them on a plate and pop them in the microwave to heat them on 20 seconds.
4. Pour green enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Place a large spoonful of the mixture into each warmed tortilla. Roll the tortillas up around the mixture and arrange the rolled tortillas into the baking dish.
6. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine half-and-half, sour cream, and salt. Stir until the mixture is lukewarm and blended. Pour sauce over the enchiladas, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with chopped green onions.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 min, or until cheese is nice and bubbly.
Buen Provecho!
Okay, so I get that “Girl’s Night” is a bit cheesy, but dammit….me and my girls LOVE it! We get together with some great drinks and do it potluck style. Everyone brings something delicious to the table and when we last gathered at Sarah’s house, I brought Mango Ceviche. This recipe was quite a hit, as I served it over Melba Toast. Perfect for hot days when you don’t want to bring in more heat with the stove. Check it out….
Ingredients:
Fresh, cleaned Halibut
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and minced
2 mangoes - peeled, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Directions
Combine cubed halibut, lime juice, lemon juice, minced jalapeno peppers, and ONE diced mango in a non-metallic bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. After the ceviche has sat for 1 1/2 hours, add the green pepper, sweet onion, and red onion. Mix well, then recover and refrigerate another 30 minutes.Fold in the remaining diced mango, cilantro, and parsley; season to taste with salt before serving. Serve with melba toast crackers (and a Mojito). Buen Provecho!
I was on a business trip to Denver, Colorado last July and living out of a hotel for a week. Luckily, my good friends live in Colorado Springs and came to Denver to visit me, bringing me the MOST delicious loaf of zucchini bread I have ever tasted. I had a slice every morning with my coffee, and Breanna was sweet enough to pass on the recipe. I FINALLY got around to whipping it up, and I must say, it is fantastic. Moist, mildy sweet and perfect with some coffee. Please give it a try and pass on the recipe. Buen Provecho :)
Zucchini Bread 
2 C. Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
3 tsp (1 Tbs.) Cinnamon
2 C. Sugar
1 C. Canola or Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs (slightly beaten)
3 tsp (1 Tbs.) vanilla extract
2 C. Grated Zucchini
1 C. pecans – chopped
Directions:
Mix together well in first bowl, ingredients 1-5 (all dry ingredients).
Blend together oil & sugar in second bowl, add beaten eggs and grated zucchini, mix well. Sift dry ingredients into wet mixture and mix. Mix in nuts.. Pour evenly into 2-8”x8” pans that have been greased and floured,.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool for 20 minutes and then remove from pan.
