Recipe: Spicy Stuffed Peppers

Spicy Stuffed Peppers

4.8 stars

Today.com (a Kevin Curry recipe)

I loved this recipe! It was super flavorful -- but I have to say that we did add some additional spice so perhaps that really "made" it. See tips below. I can't wait to eat these leftovers.

To make this vegetarian, we left out the chicken and swapped the smoked turkey sausage with Impossible Sausage

Ingredients: red bell peppers, green bell pepper, turkey sausage, chicken, yellow onion, celery, avocado oil, chili powder, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, ground fennel, frozen jasmine rice, chicken broth, tomato paste, Mexican-blend cheese, black pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Eliminated chicken
• Swapped turkey sausage for Impossible sausage
• There was a lot of filling left over so get 5 large red bell peppers next time
• Didn't have Italian seasoning so added dried basil, oregano, parsley
• Added ground cumin and red pepper flakes
• The bell peppers got a bit soft in step 2 (baking them for 20 min before adding the filling) -- next time, try 14 min

Recipe: 30 Minute Creamy Sesame Miso Ramen with Crispy Mushrooms

30 Minute Creamy Sesame Miso Ramen with Crispy Mushrooms

4.8 stars (after thinking about it, we won't make this one again -- we prefer Marcus Samuelsson's Vegetable Ramen recipe)
HalfBakedHarvest.com

So this dish did not take 30 minutes to make (it took 50 min), and the mushrooms weren't crispy, but overall this was still a really nice ramen recipe. 

We changed some things as you'll see from the notes below, but think next time it'll be even better with double the soup base and the addition of hot chili oil (I didn't realize we didn't have any so used some hot chili crisp).

Ingredients: ramen noodles, kale or spinach, mixed mushrooms, shallots, vegetable broth, dried porcini mushrooms, sesame seeds, chili flakes, cilantro, salted butter or olive oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, tahini, white miso paste, hot chili oil

Serve with: eggs, carrots, green onions

Tips/Notes:

• Because of everything extra we added ~ tofu, a ton of kale, cabbage... make 2x the entire soup base
• Added tofu! (definitely add!)
• Instead of using dried porcini mushrooms, we had some dried porcini powder from another recipe. Used 1.5 tsp but would use at least 2 tsp next time ~ and then double that for the doubled soup base.
• Used a whole head of kale which is much more than 4 cups
• Chopped the mixed mushrooms ~ baby bella, white button and shiitake
• Didn't have carrots but had purple cabbage so added to the soup
• Added green onions to the soup at the end
• Mushrooms weren't crispy as they release so much water in the sheet pan
• Could serve with egg rolls!
• Per Half Baked Harvest's note on the recipe, she recommends storing the soup and noodles separately as the noodles will soak up the soup and become mushy.

Drink Recipe: Orange Spritz (non-alcoholic)

Orange Spritz

4.6 stars
Today.com (a Geoffrey Zakarian recipe)

This was not too bad for a non-alcoholic drink. I just happened to have a bottle of sweet tea so this was easy to make. Note that it required quite a few splashes of bitters for the bitters to come through.

Ingredients: orange juice, sweet tea, orange bitters, top with sparkling water

Recipe: Crockpot Spicy Vegetarian Tortilla Soup with Quinoa

Crockpot Spicy Vegetarian Tortilla Soup with Quinoa

4.7 stars
HalfBakedHarvest.com

We made this on the STOVE, and it tasted so much better than I thought it was going to taste! As usual, chipotle in adobo and also fire-roasted tomatoes give recipes like this a great flavor.

Really FAST and EASY for a weekday meal -- took about 30 min with most of the time (20 min) needed for the quinoa to cook.

Ingredients: quinoa, yellow onion, poblano, jalapenos, fire-roasted tomatoes, chipotle in adobo, vegetable broth, cilantro, lime juice and zest, garlic, ground cumin, oregano, Kosher salt, pepper

Serve with: cilantro, mango, avocado, feta, yogurt

Tips/Notes:

• Saute the onion, poblano, jalapens and garlic 
• Use 1/2 the amount of lime juice and zest
• Used cotija instead of feta
• Definitely needs the avocado!
• Could add potatoes and lentils into the soup next time
• The mango was extra and not really needed

Recipe: Vibrant Spring Broccoli Buddha Bowl

Vibrant Spring Broccoli Buddha Bowl

4.7 stars
HalfBakedHarvest.com

This was definitely a "vibrant" Buddha Bowl full of texture and fiber -- with much of the vibrancy coming from the ginger in the dressing.

There are a lot of ingredients, as usual, in a Buddha Bowl. This was easy to make, just took a bit of time to chop and roast and make all of the components. 

Ingredients: quinoa, green lentils, broccoli, sweet potato, purple cabbage, carrots, avocado, blood orange or caracara, lemon, sesame seeds, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Ingredients for Turmeric Ginger Vinaigrette: roasted cashews, garlic, ginger, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, lemon, turmeric, cayenne, Kosher salt, pepper

Ingredients for serving: sprouts and hemp seeds

Tips/Notes:

• Double the amount of sweet potatoes from 1 to 2
• Used half of a large lemon in both places
• Added sauteed tofu!
• Need more blood oranges as they're very small -- probably 3 instead of 1 for leftovers
• Didn't add sprouts and hemp seeds
• Need to make 2x the amount of dressing
• In the dressing, used 1 garlic clove

Recipe: Asada Mushroom Tacos with Lime Smashed Avocado

Asada Mushroom Tacos with Lime Smashed Avocado

4.9 stars

HalfBakedHarvest.com

Delicious vegetarian tacos -- better than I expected! Loved the pineapple salsa along with the avocado. To get more protein, we served this with a side of seasoned black beans. 

Ingredients: tortillas, portobello mushroom caps, orange juice, garlic, chipotle in adobo, smoked paprika, limes, cilantro, extra virgin olive oil

Salted Lime Avocado Ingredients: avocado, lime, sea salt

Pineapple Salsa Ingredients: pineapple, jalapeno, lime, cilantro, feta or cotija

Tips/Notes:

• Used garlic powder instead of garlic
• Used 1 lime instead of 2 in the marinade
• Sliced avocado instead of making the smashed avocado
• Used serrano instead of jalapeno as jalapenos haven't been hot lately
• Used 1/2 of a lime in the pineapple salsa instead of a whole lime
• GRILL the mushrooms next time -- OR remember to put a rack on the baking sheet under the mushrooms because there is a lot of liquid from the mushrooms and marinade

Recipe: Herb and Chickpea Stew with Rice

Herb and Chickpea Stew with Rice
4.7 stars
HalfBakedHarvest.com

For a stew of this type (healthy!) this was pretty good. It definitely needed the Greek yogurt to make it creamy and to add another dimension. We served this with falafel on the side.

Ingredients: rice, chickpeas yellow onion, vegetable broth, spinach, cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, garlic, turmeric, red pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Serve with: Greek yogurt, mint

Tips/Notes:

• Didn't add lemon zest but needed to and will next time -- needs the brightness
• Used more baby spinach that it called for
• Used dried parsley
• Didn't add dill
• Didn't add mint for serving
• It was a little bland so added 1/4 tsp celery seed, 1/2 tsp dried basil and more red pepper

Recipe: Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili (but cooked on stove and made vegetarian)

 

Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili 

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.9 stars

Really good chili recipe that we made vegetarian. It's similar to the SmokyTofu Chili recipe in flavor but has a higher heat level because of the hot chiles and a slightly different flavor. I wish I could taste them side by side to taste the differences. 

Ingredients: ground beef (but see Impossible Beef and tofu sub below), yellow onions, poblano peppers, crushed fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, diced green chiles, broth, cream cheese, mixed chili beans, hot sauce, butter, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, salt

Toppings: cheddar, cilantro, green onions, avocado, Greek yogurt

Tips:

• Used 1 package of Impossible Beef and 1 block of firm tofu instead of 2 pounds of ground beef
• Used 2 Tbsp of hot sauce instead of 1/3 cup 
• Used unsalted butter + salt instead of salted butter
• Used 2 cups of vegetable broth instead of the "2-3 cups of chicken or beef broth"
• Didn't add in the cream cheese
• Didn't add in the cheddar in the chili -- used as topping instead
• Added 1 can of black beans 
• Serve with Frito dipper chips