Sweet Peppers Upside Down Cornbread

Every time I see cornbread in the cafe at work, I get excited since it looks so delicious. It was indeed delicious the first time I tried it there, but I was extremely disappointed the second (way too dry) and third (way too salty) time. Since then, I stopped getting it from the cafe, but every time I see it, I crave for some good cornbread! So a few weeks ago I decided to make some at home to satiate those cravings. I like adding veggies to cornbread (like these cornmeal muffins), but the only fresh vegetables I had on hand were mini sweet peppers. I decided to roast them a little to add some nice smokiness. Instead of chopping them up and adding to the batter, I lined them at the bottom of my baking pan, hoping they wouldn’t rise up while baking. Since cornbread batter is quite dense, it worked out just fine and the result was a lovely colorful upside down cornbread.

Ingredients:

~10 mini sweet peppers

Ingredients for cornbread from your favorite cornbread recipe. I used this cornmeal muffin recipe without the added veggies.

Wash and trim the stems of the sweet peppers. Slice vertically in halves or quarters (depending on the size of the peppers) and remove all seeds. In a nonstick pan, place the peppers skin side up in a single layer (you could use some oil/butter if needed, but generally they’re okay without it). Cover and cook over medium heat for a couple minutes until the peppers begin to brown. Flip them over and let the skin side get some char. Repeat until the peppers are soft to touch and have been browned on both sides.

Line a 8-9” baking pan with parchment paper. Lay down the peppers skin side down in the pan.

Prepare the cornbread batter, and gently pour it over the peppers. Bake as per cornbread recipe instructions (I baked mine at 400 F) until it is cooked through in the middle (test with a knife or toothpick).

Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes before flipping it over and slicing the cornbread. Serve warm with a dab of butter.

~Gayatri

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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Monday, March 21, 2016

Eggs Baked in Pepper Cups

Low carb, no added oil or sugar, packed with veggies, and very delicious! - eggs and vegetables baked in bell peppers make a healthy and satisfying meal. It’s a great way to incorporate different veggies, and can be easily customized to your taste or to whatever you have in the fridge.
 

Ingredients: (2 large servings)

2 bell peppers (any color)

½ cup chopped spinach

½ cup mushrooms - sliced

¼-½ cup broccoli florets

Grated cheese - any kind (optional - I didn’t use any)

2 eggs (or more if you prefer)

Salt, black pepper (to taste)

Chopped parsley/chives for garnish (optional)

Any other vegetables would work as well - I used what I had at hand.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat a pan over medium high heat and sauté the mushrooms and broccoli (I didn’t use any oil). Cut the tops off the peppers. Save it for a salad or just snack on it while the peppers bake :-). Remove the seeds. Make sure the peppers can stand upright on their own. If required slice off part of the bottom of the peppers (leaving the “pepper cup” intact).

Divide the spinach between the peppers. Add the sautéed vegetables. Sprinkle with some salt if the veggies are not seasoned. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. The idea is to soften up the peppers a little and to let some of the water from the veggies evaporate so it doesn’t puddle up under the eggs. Remove the peppers from the oven.

Add the cheese to the cups if using. Break an egg into a small bowl and carefully transfer it to one of the peppers. Add the other egg to the other pepper.  If you like, you can add 2 eggs per pepper cup. Season with salt and pepper. Return the peppers back to the oven for another 20 - 25 minutes until the egg whites are set. Poke with a knife and check if you’re not sure.

Remove from oven and serve warm garnished with chopped herbs.

~Gayatri

Note: Slightly runny yolks work as a delicious sauce!

Other recipes you might like:
Stuffed peppers
Stuffed sweet cubanelles


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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Thursday, September 10, 2015

Balsamic stir-fried vegetables

This recipe is inspired from my impatience and Karla’s delicious balsamic marinated mushroom and bell pepper sandwiches. To cut down the time between me and the tangy, delectable vegetables, I decided to use the marinade for making a stir fry. Since the marination time was omitted, I chopped the vegetables smaller to make sure they soak up the flavor from the sauce. Just like the previous recipe, any crunchy vegetables like carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas etc. would work well in this recipe. 

Ingredients: (Makes ~1.5 cups of stir fry)

~8 mini sweet peppers - seeded and julienned

½ cup shredded carrots

white/portobello mushrooms - sliced (need to check package size at walmart)

1 clove of garlic - chopped / 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

½ tsp olive oil

salt (or a drizzle of soy sauce)

black pepper

toasted sesame seeds (optional)

For the Marinade

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1-2 tsp honey mustard (or other type of mustard)

½ tsp olive oil
lemon juice (optional) - Balsamic vinegar made it tart enough for me, so I didn't add any lemon juice, but if you like it more tangy, add lemon juice to taste.

To make the marinade mix all the ingredients. If required, adjust the quantities as per your liking.

Saute the mushrooms and garlic with ½ tsp oil (just enough to prevent the mushrooms from sticking to the pan until they start sweating) over medium heat. Depending on how soft you like your carrots you can add them while the liquid from mushrooms is reducing. To keep the crunch in the peppers, add them when most of the liquid has evaporated. Add about 2 tbsp of the marinade. Season with salt/soy sauce and pepper. Keep cooking over medium high heat stirring occasionally, for a few more minutes, until the liquid evaporates and the veggies get a little charred (but not burned!). Mix in toasted sesame seeds and take pan off the heat.

Serving suggestions: 

1. Serve as is with the remaining marinade drizzled on top. 
   

   
   

 

2. Make a delicious sandwich! - I used mini ciabatta rolls, spread a little bit of the marinade on one side, topped with a couple pieces of lettuce, a simple chive omelette, and the crunchy stir fried vegetables - so many different textures!
   
   

These little colorful sandwiches are packed with a lot of flavor. This is definitely my favorite way of eating the vegetable stir-fry.

~Gayatri

Balsamic-marinated Porto-Bell-Pepper Sandwiches

I got this recipe straight from my mom, and every time I make it I can't get enough, it's so deliciously tangy! I typically use it to marinate bell peppers and Portobello mushroom slices, but carrots, snap peas, broccoli, onions, and even proteins like chicken or tofu can also work well. It can really be used for anything you care to try!

 

 

Ingredients: (makes 6-8 sandwiches)

3 bell peppers, sliced (I use one each of red, yellow, and orange, and avoid green because of its strong, not-so-sweet flavor)

~4 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick

For the marinade:

1 cup canola or extra virgin olive oil

6 TBSP balsamic vinegar

4 TBSP grainy mustard (I use regular yellow condiment mustard)

2 TBSP lemon juice

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp salt (optional - I usually skip the salt)

 

 

Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or large Ziploc bag and mix well. Add sliced mushrooms and peppers to the bowl or bag and stir or shake contents so everything is well-coated in the marinade. Set aside and refrigerate for 8-48 hours (I will usually let it sit for at least a day).

 

When ready to cook, heat oven to 400F. Spoon the veggies into a baking pan (I use a 9x13 brownie pan). If you have excess marinade, you can save it and use as salad dressing. Bake the veggies 15-30 minutes, depending on how crunchy or soft you like them. I prefer a bit softer, so I usually bake 30 minutes.

 

A lot of the time, I will make a double batch of the marinade and use it for chicken as well as veggies. About 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs or 6 chicken breasts (halved or quartered) will work well for this amount of marinade. Bake the chicken at 400F for an hour.

 

When done baking, let the veggies (and/or chicken) cool for 5-10 minutes. Assemble sandwiches using your bread of choice - ciabatta works quite well! Garnish with tomato, lettuce, sprouts, etc. if desired. Makes a deliciously colorful and juicy sandwich!

 

 

~Karla

 

NOTE: You can also serve with rice instead of making sandwiches. Leftover marinade makes for great snacking with excess rice!

Stuffed Sweet Cubanelles

While visiting my good friend Pranati and her husband a couple weekends ago, I came across a picture in one of their photo albums – it was a picture of her proudly posing with the delicious stuffed sweet peppers she had made for lunch! This is a very easy and relatively quick recipe, so Pranati and I used to make these often when we were in grad school. The reason I like Cubanelles is because they are minimally hot once steamed, but any other pepper would work if you want more heat. The peppers in her picture looked so good, I had to make some once I was home :-)

Ingredients:

3 green Cubanelle peppers
1 medium onion – finely chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 ½ cup grated coconut (I never have fresh or frozen coconut at home, so I use desiccated coconut – add just enough milk to soak the dry grated coconut and let it sit for 15-20 min)
2 tsp oil
2 tsp coriander powder
salt

For tempering (optional, but it certainly enhances the flavor)
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Asafoetida powder (typically used in Indian food for tempering)

Heat oil on medium high, and add mustard seeds. Once the seeds start sputtering add the cumin seeds and asafoetida, followed by the chopped onion. If not tempering, add the onions directly once the oil is hot.

Sauté onions until they are translucent. Add coconut, coriander powder, and salt and sauté for a couple minutes until the mixture dries out a little (don’t let it lose all the moisture). Mix in cilantro and turn off the heat.

To prepare the peppers for stuffing, slit them open lengthwise without removing the stem. Carefully remove and discard the seeds. Stuff the peppers with the filling - really pack it in! Steam the peppers with the cut side up until they are soft (test by poking with a fork or a knife). I used a steamer, but this can be done in a rice cooker or pressure cooker as well.

Once the peppers are steamed, you can eat them as is, or crisp up the skin in a frying pan with little or no oil (I didn’t use any). If any more filling is left, that can be toasted in the pan with the peppers as well. Serve hot with roti or rice!

~Gayatri

Stuffed Peppers

Sadly, there isn’t a particularly noteworthy back-story for posting this recipe. I simply wanted to try my hand at stuffed peppers. I’ve had lots of stuffed vegetables before – stuffed zucchini in Italy that was to die for, stuffed baby eggplants that I still need to learn from Gayatri how to make, stuffed tomatoes, etc. Peppers seemed like a good place to start – mix a bunch of stuff together, put inside peppers, and bake. Easy, right? Right! :-)

Ingredients

6-8 bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange all taste better than green, in my opinion)

~2 lbs ground turkey

~ ½ - ¾ cup chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)

~2 cups cooked brown rice (I used 2 bags of the 10-minute boil-in-a-bag kind)

~ ½ cup chopped onion (I usually use dried)

Black pepper to taste

Ground red pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

~ ¾ - 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

~2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Small jar pimientos (optional)

Low-fat or fat-free Feta cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice the peppers in half and clean out the insides. Place them cut-side-up on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

While the peppers are baking, cook the ground turkey in a pan or skillet over med-hi heat. Add in the spinach, chopped onions and spices. The brown rice can also be cooked at the same time according to the boil-in-a-bag directions (bring water to a boil in a pot, add the rice – still in the bag – and let boil for 10 minutes). When the rice is done, drain the water. In a large bowl, mix the turkey and rice, and stir in the ricotta cheese. Add pimientos and Feta cheese if desired.

After the un-stuffed peppers have baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool before stuffing. Stuff each pepper – be sure to get filling into every nook and cranny! You will more than likely have a bunch of extra filling that can be used to make delicious wraps, sandwiches and pasta.

Top the stuffed peppers with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake the stuffed peppers for another 15-20 minutes. Let cool before serving…then enjoy!

~Karla