From My Pinterest Recipe Board: Tried It & Liked It

The Physicist and I are on a "life transformation" plan. This means we're trying a lot of new recipes, eating less red meat, and exercising more. I wish I could say the pounds are sliding off, but they aren't. However, I feel so much better and part of the reason is the great new recipes I've found and tried on Pinterest.

Here's recipe I pinned on my recipe board that was wonderfully created by the Shugary Sweets blog.

Santa Fe Peppers

Ingredients

3/4 lb ground turkey breast (I used a pound and it came from the 4 pack at COSTCO--love it!)

1 1/2 Tbsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt (optional)

I can (28 oz) Crushed Peppers

1 can (15.25 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15.5 oz) sweet corn, rinsed and drained

3 cups Jasmine Rice cooked (I made 2 cups brown rice and only used 1 cup)

8 fresh Sweet Red Peppers (I had the 6 pepper multi-colored red/yellow/orange pack from COSTCO and they were awesome--had leftover stuffing)

1 cup reduced fat Colby Jack cheese (I used reduced fat Mexican blend cheese shredded)

2 green onions, sliced

Instructions/Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Wash peppers and slice the tops of each pepper, remove the seeds. Stand each pepper up next to each other in a large baking dish (13x9 if you have 8--slightly smaller if you have 6)

2. In a large skillet brown ground turkey until fully cooked, drain and return to skillet. Add cumin, salt, tomatoes, black beans and corn. Simmer about 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile cook rice (I cooked mine first--it would also be a great way to use leftover rice).

4. Add cooked rice to skillet (start with a half cup and go from there--this recipe makes loads of filling) and combine completely. Remove from heat and fill each pepper with the mixture. Cover dish with foil and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and top with cheese. Bake an additional five minutes until melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onion pieces. Serve and enjoy.

Man, y'all this stuffed pepper recipe was A HUGE HIT and I absolutely will make it again. I think it is good for when company's coming and it's easy on the wallet. Give it a try and let me know what you think about it. And check out the Shugary Sweets blog for more recipes. This gal can cook!!

Oh, and after you're finished eating this yummy meal, come see me on Pinterest and check out my favorite heroes and heroines over here.

From My Pinterest Recipe Board: Tried It and Liked It

I love Pinterest. It's like scrapbooking without all the stickers and hole punches (but I still love to think about scrapbooking). My hero and heroine and romance boards give me plenty of inspiration for my stories. Sometimes when I'm stuck during a first draft issue, I go to my story boards and that helps unglue the plot mess and get me pumped to go forward.

But sometimes I just get deliciously lost in the amazing recipes that I find on Pinterest. I have a recipe board and I'm determined to make more of the recipes this year. If I try it and I like it, I'll share it with you!

Here's this month's selection from My Pinterest Recipe Board:

Roasted Garlic Lemony Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli, separated into florets

2 tsp. extra virgin oil (I probably used a tad more)

1 tsp. sea salt/coarse salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

1 clove garlic minced

grated parmesan cheese (not the fine kind--this is a combination of two recipes so do with it what you will)

freshly squeezed lemon juice (about half to one lemon depending on how much broccoli you have)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)

2. In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper till coated.

3. Bake on cookie sheet (I cover mine with foil and spray with Olive Oil cooking spray first) until florets are tender enough to pierce stems with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving bowl (or not--I don't). Squeeze lemon juice liberally over the broccoli and sprinkle with parmesan) then serve.

This is really good stuff. I've made it many times for the Physicist and the College Kid. I consider this  a "Company's Coming to Dinner" dish.

Try it. You might like it.

And follow me on Pinterest to see who I think makes the perfect hero!

http://www.pinterest.com/cjglover63/

Breaking Out of the Recipe Rut: New Orleans Red Beans

As promised I am trying at least one new recipe a month this year. Some of them will be practical and some will be elaborate. Today's recipe is practical and easy on the budget and diet plan. 

Hey, I'm an unpublished writer with a College Kid and I'm on a diet. This recipe is from the Fix It and Forget It Lightly slow cooker cookbook and was originally submitted by Cheri Janzen in Houston,TX.

2 cups dried red kidney beans
5 cups water
1/4 pound lean hot sausage cut into small pieces (couldn't find this so used turkey smoked sausage and added a dash of cayenne to the mix
2 onions chopped (I used Vidalia)
2 cloves garlic minced (I used 3 and wish I used 4 cause I love garlic)
1 tsp. salt (I omitted it)

1. Wash beans. Remove any stones or floaters. In saucepan, combine beans and water. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Soak 1 hour. 

2. Brown sausage slowly in nonstick skillet (I added a bit of olive oil). Add onions, garlic, and salt (but I omitted) and sauté until tender.

3. Combine all ingredients, including the bean water, in slow cooker. 

4. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours. During last twenty minutes stir frequently and mash with a spoon (didn't do this). 

5. Serve over hot cooked white rice. (I used brown). 

Yields 6 cups. 1 cup per serving. Serve with 1/2 cup rice. 200 cal per serving. 3 weight watcher points for bean dish. 3 points for brown rice. 

Verdict? Yummy! Filling! And do again. 

Great recipe. I will make it again and tweak the heat with a bit more garlic and spice/cayenne.