Unstuffed Bell Peppers

My mother in law Vereen reminded me of a recipe she would make, stuffed bell peppers.  I wanted to make a similar recipe, a homemade easier to eat version.  This recipe gives all the flavors of stuffed bell peppers, but it's all made in one skillet and easy to serve and eat.  Truth be told, I'm a sucker for flavors like the ones found in this recipe.  I bought the bell peppers in the discount bin, so I needed to use them for something.  If you happen to have a discount bin, then I recommend buying your peppers this way.   The other ingredients are pretty standard and not too expensive.

This is how stuufed peppers should be.

Ingredients:

1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Onion
1 1/2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 Pint Canned Whole Tomatoes
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Peppers
2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika
2 cups Shredded Gouda (Monterey Jack, or Cheddar will also work)
3 cups cooked Brown Rice (white rice can be substituted)

Dice the peppers and onion.

Brown meat with onion and peppers in a large 12 inch pan over medium heat.
Sprinkle paprika and crushed red pepper on meat mixture.

Add tomatoes, and crush wish spoon.  Add rice.  Stir to combine.

Sprinkle cheese on top and cover pan and cook over low until cheese is melted.

Put the pan under the broiler and cook until cheese is bubbly browned slightly.

Enjoy!

Unstuffed Bell Peppers

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Yellow Onion

1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef

1 Pint Canned Whole Tomatoes

1 teaspoon Crushed Red Peppers

2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika

2 cups Shredded Gouda (Monterey Jack, or Cheddar will also work)

3 cups cooked Brown Rice (white rice can be substituted)

Process:

Dice the peppers and onion.

Brown meat with onion and peppers in a large 12 inch pan over medium heat.  Sprinkle paprika and crushed red pepper on meat mixture.

Add tomatoes, and crush wish spoon.  Add rice.  Stir to combine.

Sprinkle cheese on top and cover pan and cook over low until cheese is melted.

Put the pan under the broiler and cook until cheese is bubbly browned slightly.

Enjoy!

French Fry Sauce

I wanted to use my homemade sour cream for the french fries we were having.  Well, that is when I scoured the internet for a fry sauce.  My fry sauce is similar to what I found, but different.  I don't use recipes as they are written by someone else.  I put what I thought would taste good in the sauce and thankfully it worked.  All those years of tinkering in the kitchen have helped me understand flavors and what goes well together.  It helps if you understand what flavor different ingredients will impart in a recipe.  This sauce was so good that I wanted to keep eating french fries, even though I was full. When I put this sauce on our dining room table, my husband was first upset that I didn't put ketchup. When he tried the sauce, he changed his mind.  This recipe wasn't on my mind to be posted here. After I made it, and loved it, I went back and took a photo of the ingredients.  You don't get to see the middle of the process before the ingredients were mixed.  

This is the best sauce  for dipping french fries.   It puts ketchup to shame.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Sour Cream (I used homemade, recipe found here)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
4 tablespoons Cholula Lime Hot Sauce (Yes it must be this hot sauce)
2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Mix the ingredients together.  Place in a lidded container.  Refrigerate for an hour before
serving, so the flavors can come together.

Put some of this sauce next to your french fries and allow them to meet.  You will
 not be disappointed at how they taste together.

Enjoy!

French Fry Sauce
Printable Recipe found Here

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Sour Cream (I used homemade, recipe found here)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
4 tablespoons Cholula Lime Hot Sauce (Yes it must be this hot sauce)
2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Process:

Mix the ingredients together.  Place in a lidded container.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving so the flavors can come together.

Enjoy!

Ranch Dip

You know what happens when you attempt to make ranch dressing and it ends up being too thick? You pretend like you were actually making ranch dip, hence the title of my post and name of my recipe.  Before my youngest daughter decided she loved vegetables, she didn't, and we recommended she eat them with ranch dressing, and it worked.  She has loved ranch and vegetables ever since.  I promised her homemade ranch dressing, and finally I made it.  Of course my ranch dressing really was ranch dip, but hey that is a forgivable mistake right?  It isn't is it?  Okay, well then we'll make ranch dressing next time.  This dip is really good with vegetables, like those commercials for a certain hidden ranch dressing where everyone is eating cauliflower like popcorn and they have vegetable eating contests.  Potato chips are really yummy with this dip too.  

 Ranch dip and vegetables, great Summer time snack.

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek Style Yogurt
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 Avocado Oil (Olive Oil can be substituted)
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
2 tablespoons Fresh Dill
5 Small or 3 Large Green Onions
2 cloves Garlic
2 teaspoons Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

 Cut the greens onion, parsley, and dill, press the garlic and mix all of these with salt.

 Lets add the yogurt, sour cream, and avocado oil, stir.

 The flavor wasn't right yet, so add pepper, and Worcestershire Sauce, stir.

 Still not right add smoked paprika and hot sauce, stir.  Perfect!

 Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Dip your favorite vegetables and potato chips.

Enjoy!

Ranch dip

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek Style Yogurt

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/4 Avocado Oil (Olive Oil can be substituted)

1/4 cup Fresh Parsley

2 tablespoons Fresh Dill

5 Small or 3 Large Green Onions

2 cloves Garlic

2 teaspoons Hot Sauce

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Process:

Cut the greens onion, parsley, and dill, press the garlic and mix all of these with salt.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Blackened Catfish

While doing my weekly grocery shopping, the catfish was calling my name, and I decided it was time to try and prepare it myself.  I have eaten catfish once in my lifetime I think, and since I have been preparing a different fish every week, this was the week for catfish.  Fried catfish seemed a little too much frying for me, so I decided to make blackened catfish.  My fish didn't turn out very blackened, most likely because I used fresh ingredients rather then dried.  Dried spices do blacken, hence the name. This is my personal experience speaking.  In no way am I able to accurately tell you why blackened catfish is called that, but I'm guessing it is because the spice rubbed on the catfish blackens when it is pan fried. 

 Flavorful exterior, flaky moist inside.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons softened Butter
1 small Yellow Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 Lemon
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 lbs. Catfish fillets

 Peel and finely dice 1/2 of the onion.

If you have a molcajete or a mortar and pestle, bring them out, otherwise process this in a
blender or food processor.

Place onion, garlic and salt in molcajete or blender.  Grind or blend into a paste.

 Look at my paste, cool.

 Add paprika and red pepper flakes.  Grind or blend until smooth.

 Squeeze lemon juice and add olive oil.  Stir or blend until smooth.

 Brush paste onto both sides of catfish filets, allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

 Add 4 tablespoons of butter to large sauté pan over medium heat.

 Fry catfish filets until interior flesh is opaque and flaky,  3-5 minutes on each side.

Remove from pan and place on serving platter or plate.

Enjoy!

Blackened Catfish

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons softened Butter

1 small Yellow Onion

4 cloves Garlic

1 Lemon

1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 lbs. Catfish fillets

Process:

Peel and finely dice 1/2 of the onion.

If you have a molcajete or a mortar and pestle bring them out, otherwise process this in a blender or food processor.

Place onion, garlic and salt in molcajete or blender.  Grind or blend into a paste.

Add paprika and red pepper flakes.  Grind or blend until smooth.

Squeeze lemon juice and add olive oil.  Stir or blend until smooth.

Brush paste onto both sides of catfish filets, allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

Add 4 tablespoons of butter to large sauté pan over medium heat.

Fry catfish filets until interior flesh is opaque and flaky,  3-5 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!

Bouillabaisse

In our church, we bring meals to new moms after they have a baby.  Today I volunteered to bring dinner to a new mom and her husband.  I was told to avoid starches since the new mom has diabetes.   I wanted to make ratatouille again and a fish soup with it so bouillabaisse seemed like the best choice. French food sounded like a good idea for dinner.  My bouillabaisse is simple and does not have as much seafood variety as you would find in France.

I love soup, and since we had a torrential downpour today, this was even more comforting today.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Red Snapper Fillets
2 lbs. Tilapia Filets
2 Leeks
10 Campari Tomatoes
6 cloves Garlic
1 large White Onion
10 sprigs of Thyme
1 teaspoon Fennel
3 tablespoons Kosher Salt
3 bunches of Scallions
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Water

Rinse and cut tomatoes into quarters.  Peel and dice the onion.  Slice the leek, only the white and the light green portion.

Place 2 of each fish fillets in a pressure cooker pot, add tomatoes, 5 sprigs of thyme, onion,
leeks, salt, and enough water to bring to the 16 cups line.

Cook in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes.

Strain fish broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large stock pot over a medium high flame.

Remove thyme from stems.  Slice scallions and the other leek.

Cube the remaining fish fillets.  Remove any small bones if you find any.

Add leeks, scallion, thyme, and fish to boiling broth.

Cook until fish becomes opaque.

Add paprika to soup.

Serve with a nice crusty french bread like we did.

Enjoy!

Bouillabaisse
Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:https://sites.google.com/site/queensfoodiemama/bouillabaisse

2 lbs. Red Snapper Fillets
2 lbs. Tilapia Filets
2 Leeks
10 Campari Tomatoes
6 cloves Garlic
1 large White Onion
10 sprigs of Thyme
1 teaspoon Fennel
3 tablespoons Kosher Salt
3 bunches of Scallions
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Water

Rinse and cut tomatoes into quarters.  Peel and dice the onion.  Slice one of the leeks, only the white and the light green portion.

Place 2 of each fish fillets in a pressure cooker pot, add tomatoes, 5 sprigs of thyme, onion, leeks, salt, and enough water to bring to the 16 cups line.

Cook in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes.

Strain fish broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large stock pot over a medium high flame.

Remove thyme from stems.  Slice scallions and the other leek.

Cube the remaining fish fillets, remove any small bones if you find any.

Add leeks, scallion, thyme, and fish to boiling broth.

Cook until fish becomes opaque.

Add paprika to soup.

Enjoy!

Baked Shredded Pork Flautas

I love Mexican food, and growing up in California, is probably the main reason for that.  I try to make Mexican food as often as my family allows.  We can't have Mexican food too often since my son's will only eat one Mexican dish, quasadillas.  My sister Jenifer lived with us for a short time, when we lived in our first house in California, and she introduced flautas to me.  She made them with mashed potatoes. I have filled them with mashed potatoes and with shredded chicken. The potato flautas I made were fried, but I have learned they are just as yummy baked.  This recipe uses shredded pork, and they are baked.  What is the difference between a flauta and a taquito?  Flautas are made with flour tortillas and taquitos are made with corn tortillas.  

 This is how to feed a craving for Mexican food, so yummy.

Ingredients for this Recipe:

8 large Flour Tortillas
1 pint Enchilada Sauce (I used my homemade sauce, recipe found here)
1 lb. Pork Sirloin Tip Roast
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
3/4 cup crumbled Queso Fresco Cheese
Vegetable Oil

Process:

 Combine garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl.  Mix.

 Butterfly the roast and rub all over with spice blend.

 I used a rotisserie to cook mine.  Place in the kabob basket.

 Cook pork in rotisserie for 35 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 Fahrenheit

 Shred the pork with your hands or two forks.

Pour enchilada sauce over shredded pork in medium sauce pan on medium heat.  Stir, cover
with lid and cook for five minutes after it boils.

 Hers is the crumbled queso fresco, so yummy.

Using tongs, place 1/4 cup shredded pork on the tortilla along one of the sides and add 1-2
tablespoons cheese.

Brush vegetable oil on a cookie sheet.  Roll the flautas in the oil on the pan so all sides are
coated with oil.

Sprinkle smoked paprika and garlic on the flautas.

 Bake the flautas for 10-15 minutes, until brown on the edges.

Dip in the remaining enchilada sauce, enjoy with some homemade guacamole like the recipe
I posted here or maybe some sour cream.

Enjoy!

Baked Shredded Pork Flautas
Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

8 large Flour Tortillas
1 pint Enchilada Sauce (I used my homemade sauce, recipe found here)
1 lb. Pork Sirloin Tip Roast
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
3/4 cup crumbled Queso Fresco Cheese
Vegetable Oil

Process:

Combine garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl.  Mix.

Butterfly the roast and rub all over with spice blend.

Cook pork in kabob basket of a rotisserie for 35 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 Fahrenheit

Shred the pork with your hands or two forks.

Pour enchilada sauce over shredded pork in medium sauce pan on medium heat.  Stir, cover with lid and cook for five minutes after it boils.

Using tongs, place 1/4 cup shredded pork on the tortilla along one of the sides and add 1-2 tablespoons cheese.

Brush vegetable oil on a cookie sheet.  Roll the flautas in the oil on the pan so all sides are coated with oil.

Sprinkle smoked paprika and garlic on the flautas.

Bake the flautas for 10-15 minutes, until brown on the edges.

Enjoy!