Veggie

This is my go-to summer vegetarian entrée. These roasted stuffed peppers are loaded with sautéed vegetables and herbs: onions, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro. Quinoa and Monterey Jack cheese give them a hardiness. Super summery and delicious, these peppers are loved by meat-eaters and vegetarians alike!

How to feed vegetables to a crowd?

This is a question I’ve found myself asking often in recent weeks. I’ve been on the road, first in Lake George, then in Connecticut, each for a week-long trip with extended family.

When it has been my turn to make dinner, I’ve found myself wanting to make something vegetarian — like a big, chopped salad with chickpeas and cubed cheese — but worrying about two things:

1. How would it be received? and
2. Would it be substantial enough?

This time of year, when the produce is nearing its peak, it’s easy to throw together a big green salad or to steam a dozen ears of corn or to chop up a bunch of tomatoes and call the side dish done.

But how to make something vegetable-based for the main course when eight adults and eight children are sitting around the table? And how do you do this without spending three days chopping?

Here’s one answer: vegetarian stuffed peppers. I made these peppers three times this past week, and while I didn’t even attempt to serve them to the children, the adults raved.

The Beauty of Veggie-Loaded Stuffed Bell Peppers:

1. Loaded with a mix of sautéed zucchini, corn, and tomatoes, and bulked up with cooked quinoa and Monterey Jack cheese, these peppers feel substantial and satisfying, while also summery and light.
2. Make ahead-able: You can prepare this dish ahead of time a number of ways. My favorite way is to stuff the partially roasted peppers with the filling, then stash them in the fridge or leave at room temperature until I am ready to pop them in the oven for their final bake.
3. They reheat beautifully .
4. Adaptable: The vegetables can be swapped, spices can be added, any number of grains could be used in place of the quinoa, and any number of good melting cheeses could be used in place of Monterey Jack. Last fall, I made a variation with blistered poblano peppers, quinoa, and corn .

These peppers are not something I would suggest you whip up on a weeknight, but they won’t keep you locked up in the kitchen chopping for days either.

How long to bake stuffed peppers?

These stuffed peppers bake for a total of 25 minutes. The peppers first bake alone at 475ºF for about 15 minutes or until their surfaces blister; then, once stuffed, they bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers:

Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients. Heat the oven to 475ºF convection roast.

Halve and core bell peppers, leaving their stems intact. Drizzle with olive oil and salt, place them cut-side down on a sheet pan, and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook 1/2 cup quinoa in salted water for 9 to 12 minutes or until it is done; then sauté an onion with a hot chili until it is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the diced zucchini, and sauté for a minute or two more.

Next add the corn and sauté for a minute more.

Add the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro, and turn off the heat.

Next add the quinoa and stir to combine.

Add cubed Monterey Jack (or other cheese) and stir to combine.

Remove bell peppers from the oven.

Flip them over.

Stuff the peppers with the quinoa-vegetable filling.

Stuffed peppers in the oven.

Transfer pan to the oven (or transfer a few of the peppers to a smaller roasting pan) and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Garnish with fresh basil out of the oven and serve with lemon, if you wish.

Description

Inspired by a recipe I made last fall for blistered poblano peppers stuffed with corn and quinoa from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard .

Scale this recipe up or down as needed. In the video, I make a half recipe, which yields 6 pepper halves.

• 6 large bell peppers, halved and cored, leaving the stems intact (if you wish)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
• kosher salt
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 hot chili, optional, finely minced
• kosher salt
• 1 or 2 zucchini, small diced, to yield about 2 cups
• 2 ears corn, kernels removed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 6 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped to yield about a cup
• 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
• basil or chives, chopped finely, for garnish, optional
• lemon for garnish, optional

1. Heat the oven to 475ºF convection roast. Place the peppers cut side down on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with oil. Season with salt. Transfer pan to the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the peppers begin to blister. Remove from the oven. Turn peppers over. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, and bring to a simmer. Add a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook quinoa 9-12 minutes or until the quinoa is done. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it shimmers, add the diced onion and chili, immediately lower the heat to medium, season with a pinch of salt, and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and begins turning translucent.
4. Add the diced zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, just until the zucchini loses its rawness — you don’t want the zucchini to turn to mush; it’s nice when it has some texture here. Add the corn and cook for a minute more. Turn off the heat. Add the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro.
5. Add the quinoa and stir to combine. Taste. Add salt and pepper until it tastes well seasoned. Fold in the cubed Monterey Jack.
6. Spoon filling into the cavities of the peppers. Don’t be afraid to really, really pack them full — it’s OK if the filling is heaped in a mound in each pepper. These peppers are meant to feel substantial. You may have a little extra filling on hand; it’s delicious on its own. Save it for another day or eat it.
7. Transfer peppers to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes more until the cheese begins melting and the vegetables begin browning.
8. Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh basil, if you wish. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, if you wish.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

This is my go-to summer vegetarian entrée. These roasted stuffed peppers are loaded with sautéed vegetables and herbs: onions, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro. Quinoa and Monterey Jack cheese give them a hardiness. Super summery and delicious, these peppers are loved by meat-eaters and vegetarians alike!

How to feed vegetables to a crowd?

This is a question I’ve found myself asking often in recent weeks. I’ve been on the road, first in Lake George, then in Connecticut, each for a week-long trip with extended family.

When it has been my turn to make dinner, I’ve found myself wanting to make something vegetarian — like a big, chopped salad with chickpeas and cubed cheese — but worrying about two things:

1. How would it be received? and
2. Would it be substantial enough?

This time of year, when the produce is nearing its peak, it’s easy to throw together a big green salad or to steam a dozen ears of corn or to chop up a bunch of tomatoes and call the side dish done.

But how to make something vegetable-based for the main course when eight adults and eight children are sitting around the table? And how do you do this without spending three days chopping?

Here’s one answer: vegetarian stuffed peppers. I made these peppers three times this past week, and while I didn’t even attempt to serve them to the children, the adults raved.

The Beauty of Veggie-Loaded Stuffed Bell Peppers:

1. Loaded with a mix of sautéed zucchini, corn, and tomatoes, and bulked up with cooked quinoa and Monterey Jack cheese, these peppers feel substantial and satisfying, while also summery and light.
2. Make ahead-able: You can prepare this dish ahead of time a number of ways. My favorite way is to stuff the partially roasted peppers with the filling, then stash them in the fridge or leave at room temperature until I am ready to pop them in the oven for their final bake.
3. They reheat beautifully .
4. Adaptable: The vegetables can be swapped, spices can be added, any number of grains could be used in place of the quinoa, and any number of good melting cheeses could be used in place of Monterey Jack. Last fall, I made a variation with blistered poblano peppers, quinoa, and corn .

These peppers are not something I would suggest you whip up on a weeknight, but they won’t keep you locked up in the kitchen chopping for days either.

How long to bake stuffed peppers?

These stuffed peppers bake for a total of 25 minutes. The peppers first bake alone at 475ºF for about 15 minutes or until their surfaces blister; then, once stuffed, they bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers:

Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients. Heat the oven to 475ºF convection roast.

Halve and core bell peppers, leaving their stems intact. Drizzle with olive oil and salt, place them cut-side down on a sheet pan, and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook 1/2 cup quinoa in salted water for 9 to 12 minutes or until it is done; then sauté an onion with a hot chili until it is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the diced zucchini, and sauté for a minute or two more.

Next add the corn and sauté for a minute more.

Add the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro, and turn off the heat.

Next add the quinoa and stir to combine.

Add cubed Monterey Jack (or other cheese) and stir to combine.

Remove bell peppers from the oven.

Flip them over.

Stuff the peppers with the quinoa-vegetable filling.

Stuffed peppers in the oven.

Transfer pan to the oven (or transfer a few of the peppers to a smaller roasting pan) and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Garnish with fresh basil out of the oven and serve with lemon, if you wish.

Description

Inspired by a recipe I made last fall for blistered poblano peppers stuffed with corn and quinoa from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard .

Scale this recipe up or down as needed. In the video, I make a half recipe, which yields 6 pepper halves.

• 6 large bell peppers, halved and cored, leaving the stems intact (if you wish)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
• kosher salt
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 hot chili, optional, finely minced
• kosher salt
• 1 or 2 zucchini, small diced, to yield about 2 cups
• 2 ears corn, kernels removed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 6 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped to yield about a cup
• 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
• basil or chives, chopped finely, for garnish, optional
• lemon for garnish, optional

1. Heat the oven to 475ºF convection roast. Place the peppers cut side down on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with oil. Season with salt. Transfer pan to the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the peppers begin to blister. Remove from the oven. Turn peppers over. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, and bring to a simmer. Add a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook quinoa 9-12 minutes or until the quinoa is done. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it shimmers, add the diced onion and chili, immediately lower the heat to medium, season with a pinch of salt, and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and begins turning translucent.
4. Add the diced zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, just until the zucchini loses its rawness — you don’t want the zucchini to turn to mush; it’s nice when it has some texture here. Add the corn and cook for a minute more. Turn off the heat. Add the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro.
5. Add the quinoa and stir to combine. Taste. Add salt and pepper until it tastes well seasoned. Fold in the cubed Monterey Jack.
6. Spoon filling into the cavities of the peppers. Don’t be afraid to really, really pack them full — it’s OK if the filling is heaped in a mound in each pepper. These peppers are meant to feel substantial. You may have a little extra filling on hand; it’s delicious on its own. Save it for another day or eat it.
7. Transfer peppers to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes more until the cheese begins melting and the vegetables begin browning.
8. Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh basil, if you wish. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, if you wish.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Description

Inspired by a recipe I made last fall for blistered poblano peppers stuffed with corn and quinoa from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard .

Scale this recipe up or down as needed. In the video, I make a half recipe, which yields 6 pepper halves.

• 6 large bell peppers, halved and cored, leaving the stems intact (if you wish)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
• kosher salt
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 hot chili, optional, finely minced
• kosher salt
• 1 or 2 zucchini, small diced, to yield about 2 cups
• 2 ears corn, kernels removed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 6 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped to yield about a cup
• 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
• basil or chives, chopped finely, for garnish, optional
• lemon for garnish, optional

1. Heat the oven to 475ºF convection roast. Place the peppers cut side down on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with oil. Season with salt. Transfer pan to the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the peppers begin to blister. Remove from the oven. Turn peppers over. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, and bring to a simmer. Add a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook quinoa 9-12 minutes or until the quinoa is done. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it shimmers, add the diced onion and chili, immediately lower the heat to medium, season with a pinch of salt, and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and begins turning translucent.
4. Add the diced zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, just until the zucchini loses its rawness — you don’t want the zucchini to turn to mush; it’s nice when it has some texture here. Add the corn and cook for a minute more. Turn off the heat. Add the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro.
5. Add the quinoa and stir to combine. Taste. Add salt and pepper until it tastes well seasoned. Fold in the cubed Monterey Jack.
6. Spoon filling into the cavities of the peppers. Don’t be afraid to really, really pack them full — it’s OK if the filling is heaped in a mound in each pepper. These peppers are meant to feel substantial. You may have a little extra filling on hand; it’s delicious on its own. Save it for another day or eat it.
7. Transfer peppers to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes more until the cheese begins melting and the vegetables begin browning.
8. Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh basil, if you wish. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, if you wish.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2019/07/27/roasted-peppers-stuffed-with-corn-zucchini-quinoa-tomatoes/

Two perfect eggplants arrived in our CSA this week, and I immediately wanted to make this salad. I first made it two summers ago after spotting it in Bon Appétit, and wrote about it on Food52 shortly thereafter.

In sum: it’s a composed salad, three layers of goodness:

1. Layer 1: Cucumber-yogurt sauce, seasoned with cumin, garlic, and fresh lemon. It’s kind of like a cross between an Indian raita and a Greek tzatziki.
2. Layer 2: Roasted eggplant, irresistible on its own, caramelized at the edges, creamy in the center.
3. Layer 3: Tomato salad, dressed in a simple mix of equal parts olive oil and white balsamic vinegar, plus flaky sea salt to taste. A handful of greens, such as arugula or sprouts, gets folded into the dressed tomatoes just before serving.

The original recipe calls for a layer of crispy kale chips, which are very delicious and which complement the other vegetables well, but I never make them anymore as two roasted components for a summer salad feels too much like hard work.

Right?

I made this salad for dinner tonight (July 31st, 2019) and served it with olive oil toasted bread and a few wedges of cheese my mother sent me home with last week. And though I feel I’m beginning to sound like a broken record — “Serve this with bread and a hunk of cheese and call dinner done!” — that’s what happened tonight and what happens more and more these days.

Current hierarchy of needs: Vegetables. Bread. Wine. Cheese.

Yes or no?

Description

Adapted from this recipe from London’s Gunpowder restaurant.

• 2 medium eggplants (about 1½ – 2 pounds total), quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 2 -inch pieces
• 1 / 4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
• kosher salt
• 1 / 2 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and crushed, or ground cumin
• 1 cucumber (about 8 oz )
• 1 cup whole milk (or 2%) plain Greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• juice of 1 lemon, about 3 tablespoons
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• a handful of arugula or other greens
• flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

1. Heat oven to 450°F convection roast. Toss eggplants with 1/4 cup of the oil on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment for easy cleaning; season with salt (at least 1 teaspoon kosher salt). Roast, until eggplant pieces are deeply golden on the side touching the sheet pan, about 20 minutes or longer. Remove pan from oven, flip over each piece gently using a fork or spatula (this is just to ensure the pieces are golden and to ensure they don’t stick). Set aside.
2. Grate the cucumber coarsely on a box grater. Set the grated cucumber over a sieve to drain. Save the cucumber juice — it’s great in cocktails or simply mixed with sparkling or still water.
3. In a medium bowl, stir the cucumber into the yogurt, along with the garlic, and the juice of half the lemon (about 1.5 tablespoons). Add the toasted, ground cumin seed. Season with salt, starting with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, adding an additional 1/4 teaspoon if necessary. Taste. Add more salt and lemon to taste — this should taste nicely seasoned.
4. Toss tomatoes with a good pinch of flaky sea salt and the tablespoon of olive oil and vinegar in a medium bowl. Add arugula and toss gently. Spoon yogurt mixture onto a large platter and layer eggplant on top. Top with tomato-arugula mixture. Taste. Sprinkle with more salt, olive oil, or lemon if necessary.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Roast
• Cuisine: Mediterranean