Salisbury.Fake dinner

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Sorry there’s no photo with this one.  Melted cheese is hard to photograph before it turns kind of gloppy, and people wanted to eat right away.  Next time, though!

25 ounce can hominy, drained and rinsed
15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pint of mushrooms, sliced thin
1 mango, small dice
1/2 cup onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup vegetable stock
8 ounces shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
vegetable oil, as needed
5-8 poblano peppers

Heat the oven to 375 F, and line a sheet pan with either foil or parchment paper.  Rub the peppers with oil until coated, then place on the sheet pan.  Roast for about half an hour, or until the skins start to blister.  Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a large bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat, and then combine the hominy, black beans, mushrooms, mango, onion, garlic, and the spices.  Cook for about three minutes, and then add in the vegetable stock.  Cover and let cook for three more minutes, and then remove the cover.  Continue cooking until there is very little liquid left in the pan, and the onions and mango are soft.

Remove the peppers from the bowl and peel the skins off.  Cut a slit along one side and open carefully.  Remove the seeds and the core.  Once the peppers are all deseeded and peeled, spoon some of the filling onto the inside of the pepper, and top with some cheese, about a tablespoon.  Fold over the sides so the filling is tucked in, and top with more cheese.  Do this for all of the peppers.  (You may have leftover filling, but that’s okay, this makes a great burrito or taco filling as well.)

Bake the peppers at 375 for about ten minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Salisbury.Fake dinner, food

Quinoa with Red & Green Peppers, Onion, and Garlic

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1 small onion, diced
1 quarter of a red pepper, diced
1 quarter of a green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red and white quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil and then add in the peppers, garlic, and onion.  Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften.  Add the quinoa, stock, and coriander.  Bring to a boil and then cover with the lid tilted so steam can escape.  Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the quinoa has expanded and white threads appear around it (10-15 minutes).  Add any salt and pepper if you’d like.

This makes several servings.  Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

Salisbury.Fake dinner

Creole Lentils with Smoked Sausage

2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of lentils
1/2 of a green pepper, diced small
1/2 of a yellow or orange pepper, diced small
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup smoked sausage (I used beef sausage), chopped small
1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning (my recipe for this is below)
1/3 cup tomato sauce (plain sauce)

In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil, and then add in the lentils.  Cook the lentils until they are nearly done. They’ll be somewhat chewy and you’ll still have quite a bit of liquid leftover.  This is okay!  When the lentils are about halfway done, heat a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat and add in the olive oil.  Add in the peppers, onion, and garlic, and cook till softened. Reduce the heat to low-medium, and continue to cook.  You might smell the garlic starting to burn, but that’s okay for this dish.  As long as the garlic doesn’t turn black, you are doing it right.  I know it sounds  weird to have burnt garlic in a recipe, but it really adds a nice flavor to everything.  Once the lentils have reached the nearly done stage, crank the heat to medium high and add the sausage to the skillet to heat through.  Pour off most of the liquid from the lentils into the pan with the onion, peppers, garlic, and now sausage. Sprinkle the seasoning on top and mix in.  Cook this until the liquid is reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes.  Add in the lentils and remaining stock, and bring to a boil.  Add the tomato sauce, and continue cooking until the liquid is mostly gone and you have the consistency of a thick sauce.

Serve with goat cheese crumbles, and maybe some hearty bread.
Creole Seasoning:
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
5 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp salt
Mix all of these ingredients together and keep in an airtight container for up to a year.  If a spice blend doesn’t smell like anything, it’s probably no longer as potent, and you should get rid of it.

Note: The reason why this is called Creole and not Cajun is because I read recently that Creole food uses tomatoes, while Cajun food does not usually use them.  I am happy to be corrected if that’s incorrect, however, because I am always willing to learn!