Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

4 green bell peppers

3/4 cup long grain brown rice

1/2 white onion; diced

2 garlic cloves; diced

1/2 medium zucchini; diced

1 tablespoon diced jalapeno pepper

2 plumb tomatoes; diced

1 can black beans; rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregono

1/2 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper

2 cups salsa or tomato sauce

grated cheese (optional)

1. Prepare the rice. 3/4 cup rice is cooked with 1 1/2 cups water for 35-40 min. While rice is cooking halve, seed and core the peppers. Set them aside in a 9X13 baking dish. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

2. Saute the onion, garlic, zucchini, and jalapeno until the onion is opaque. Add the tomatoes, beans, corn and spices. When all is warmed turn off the heat and stir in the rice.

3. Spoon the filling into the pepper halves, it is OK to mound it in the peppers. If there is any extra filling just place it in the bottom of the baking dish around the peppers. cover the top of the peppers with salsa or sauce.(depending on how hot you like it) Sprinkle with grated cheese if you desire.

4. Bake for 20 minutes then serve.

Jicama Salad

This week the unusual veggie of the week is JICAMA!! I am not surprised if you have never heard of it, or if you have heard, have no idea what it tastes like. We get it 2-3 times a year through Fair Foods, and when we get it we feast for days. I have tried to find it in the grocery store and even the large chains have a hard time getting their hands on them. The produce supervisor at Stop and Shop offered to order me one, but could not guarantee that they would get it. So if you find Jicama anywhere buy it, try it and you will love it!

 Jicama is actually the root of a bean vine that is harvested in Mexico, so it is sometimes called yam-bean, but Jicama is the yam part. It is a great source of fiber, high in vitamins C, A, & B and contains high amounts of calcium and phosphorous. It has the consistency between a very crispy apple and a potato, but it is sweet like an apple.
This recipe blends its versatility of crunch and sweet and pairs it with a few other complementary veggies and fruits.

Jicama Salad

1 Jicama bulb; peeled & sliced into sticks
1/2 red onion sliced
2 pickling cucumbers halved and sliced
2 navel oranges; peeled and segmented
1 Avocado; peeled and diced

1/2 lime juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Prepare all veggies and mix in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together lime juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over salad, toss and serve.

Vegan Banana Ginger Raisin Muffins

Vegan Banana Ginger Raisin Muffins

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup chopped candied ginger
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork till soft. Add the oil, vanilla and sugar and cream together.
In a separate bowl, combine together the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Combine with the banana mixture, then add ginger raisins, and if using, nuts, stirring gently just to combine.
Grease or line a muffin pan, and fill each muffin about 2/3 full with batter. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins

Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1tsp cinnamon

2 wheat germ
3 mashed bananas (ripe)
1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup agave nectar or 1/2 cup honey or 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin or line with paper cups.
2 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, wheat germ and cinnamon in a large bowl. Make sure it is well mixed.
3 In a small cup, combine the almond milk with the apple cider vinegar and set aside.
4 Mash or process the bananas, then add oil, honey (or your preferred sweetener) and vanilla to the banana puree.
5 Make a well in the flour mixture. Then pour in the banana mixture and the soy milk/vinegar. Stir until just combined.
6 fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full with batter.
7 Bake for around 20 minutes

Great-Grandmother's Banana Bread (non-vegan)

I do remember my great-grandmother. I don't ever remember her making this banana bread. I remember she had a pink velvet couch that I thought should have belonged to Cleopatra, but I was never allowed to sit on. She also had shiny golden, pointed-toed house slippers that i thought should have belonged to a Jeannie. I remember that she had HBO to watch the Dallas Cowboys, and when we ate a her house we had Campbell's Soup and sandwiches.

This recipe is attributed to her though, and it makes me happy to make it especially when I have a lot of brown bananas that need to be baked into something yummy. This recipe makes 1 loaf, but it successfully doubles if you want to make two. Just remember if you are baking both of them in the same oven to rotate them half-way through.

Banana Bread

3 very ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

In a mixer, mash the bannana, then add the sugar and eggs. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees.