the farmer has the kids out hunting this morning and I am researching and dreaming up vegetarian meals for the week…
I feel like our relationship is a constant plot against one another
to me, fall time is a celebration of vegetables…
the farmer is ruled by a primal need to stock the freezer with meat for the winter…
my discovery this summer of spiralizing vegetables has forever changed my cooking… there was a big craze quite a few years ago where you would roast or steam veggies, puree them and then secretly add them to your recipes… Jessica Seinfeld led the way in this with her cookbooks that influenced a lot of mom’s attempts to feed their families more vegetables…
but I always thought it wasn’t the right way to do it as you are not really teaching your children to enjoy the texture and taste of the vegetables if they are hidden…
‘noodling’ your vegetables appeals to me more as my kids enjoy the texture and taste of the vegetables and are curious about what they are eating
one thing I do need to ‘hide’ in my cooking around here is quinoa… I’m not sure which word my family hates more… toss-up between quinoa and kale…
now, you can buy these stuffed peppers at Costco… but if you have about an hour you can whip these up at home and give yourself a pat on the back
these are easy to make-ahead, go watch a football game and come home to pop them in the oven for 30 minutes…
I realize you might be hungry right when you get home from the football game and not want to wait around 30 minutes… but I know that my kids have supplemented their diet with burgers and pizza so I feel good about them coming home to stuffed peppers!
so the farmer keeps on hunting and I keep on gardening and we agree to disagree… I compare our relationship to the Pink Panther movies where Inspector Clouseau has his manservant surprise attack him all the time so he doesn’t lose his ‘edge’…
I like to think of the farmer as Clouseau and myself as Cato
by disagreeing constantly we keep each other sharp
Quinoa and Spiralized Sweet Potato Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients:
- 6 bell peppers, halved, seeds removed
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and spiralized
- 1 1/2 cups cooked red quinoa
- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, strained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- salt
- 1/2-1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 2 tbsp minced cilantro
- 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
Directions:
- preheat oven to 375 degrees
- lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish or rimmed baking sheet
- spray the peppers lightly with cooking spray and lay out in dish
- in a large skillet, add olive oil
- add sweet potato noodles and season with salt and pepper
- cook for 5-7 minutes or until mostly wilted (not fully cooked)
- add the quinoa, tomatoes, and seasonings
- add black beans and corn
- mix together and stuff the peppers with the mixture
- sprinkle each pepper with cheese and bake for 30 minutes
- remove from the oven and serve with cilantro and avocado
i feed a farmer 
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