Broccoli Gratin Stuffed Peppers

I don't think I make stuffed peppers enough. It's so fun because you can basically put whatever casserole you like inside, and you get nice individual servings encased in a tidy pepper. It makes eating casserole fancier. 

We went to the last farmer's market of the year in Iowa a few weeks ago (I know, I'm way overdue for a post!). And, the produce stands were still brimming with peppers! I think we came home with 5 or 6 of them! (hello fajitas and stuffed peppers!).

I stuffed these with a broccoli gratin that even used up some left over tofu we had in the fridge. I just cut around the stem of the pepper, pulled it out, and scooped out the seeds. You could also save the stems to put back on top for a fun presentation.

Here they are, slightly roasted after coming out of the oven. 

Warm, flavorful, and packed with nutrients!

Broccoli Gratin Stuffed Peppers


4 large peppers, variety of colors
1 1/4 c left over brown rice, pre-cooked
3/4 c chopped broccoli (or just use up that extra broccoli in your fridge!)
2 oz firm tofu, crumbled (that's about the size of 2/3 of a deck of cards)
Handful of black olives, chopped
1/4 c diced red onion
Handful of nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts), chopped
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 c shredded cheese (I used parmesan here)
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a casserole dish.

Prepare the peppers by cutting a circle around the stem. Pull the stem out, and scoop out the seeds from the inside.

Mix the rice, broccoli and tofu together. Then stir in the olives, red onion, nuts, and olive oil. Save a small sprinkle of each for a fancy garnish.  Stir in half the cheese (saving the other half for a garnish).

Whisk the eggs together and fold them into the rice mixture. Using a small spoon (or two!), fill the peppers with the gratin until full. Stand up in the casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is toasty and the peppers are softened and beginning to brown.

If you have extra gratin left over, it can be baked in a casserole dish for about 30 minutes, until set.

Garnish with olives, nuts, and onion, if desired.

Pumpkin Shrimp Curry with Butternut Squash

This dish turned out awesome. And it was a lot easier to make than I was expecting. The longest part was roasting the butternut squash, so if you're a planner and get that done ahead of time, it will be a breeze to make this curry up. 

And, it's such a great fall dish. It's warm and spicy, perfect for enjoying in a cold house! Iowa weather has been teasing us lately. There have been a few frosts, and a few days where it was in the high 40s. But, those are interspersed with sunshine-y 70 degree days. In November! I don't think I've ever experienced a 70 degree day in November before. And, let me tell you, it throws me off. 

Do I make the warm and cozy curry? Or, wait for an actually cold day?

Well, turns out, I had a bit of pumpkin left over (remember the pumpkin soup in a pumpkin, anyone?). So, I'm making curry! This is a great way to use up left over pumpkin. It makes the curry thick, and creamy. Of course, you can use canned pumpkin as well, for a shortcut if you don't have extra roasted pumpkin hanging around.

When I first started simmering this, I thought it looked a little off-color. Not as vibrant as I was expecting. Then I realized, I forgot to add the curry powder. That will make a difference! Don't forget the curry powder!

The left over pumpkin pureed surprisingly well! I was expecting a grainier texture, maybe with a few strings too. But, it came out perfectly smooth. Just like from a can!

The final key to making this curry taste awesome? The garnishes! That's some lime zest, there.

And some browned shallots here. (But, to be honest, I don't think it needs the browned shallots at all. I thought the lime zest was much more flavorful). Alternatively, I think some cashews on top would taste great too.

Pumpkin Shrimp Curry with Butternut Squash
Adapted from Bon Appetit


2 TBSP olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 TBSP minced ginger
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 1/2 c pureed, roasted pumpkin, or 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree (careful not to use pumpkin pie filling)
2 c vegetable broth
1 c lite, unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
1 c butternut squash, roasted and diced
1 lb frozen shrimp, tails removed
Juice of 1 lime
Brown rice
Lime zest
Fried shallots (optional)

Start by getting your brown rice cooking (1 cup brown rice to 2 cups boiling water. Cover. Simmer.) and your butternut squash roasting (400 degrees, for about 30 minutes. I cubed the squash first).

While the brown rice is cooking and the squash is roasting, heat oil in large frying pan. Add onion and ginger and cook briefly. Add garlic, continue to cook until fragrant. Add tomato and pumpkin puree and stir. Cook, stirring frequently until pumpkin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. (Note: I think I cheated on this step and didn't really cook the pumpkin that much).

Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder (don't forget this!) and cayenne pepper. Simmer, about 20 minutes.

While this is simmering, defrost the frozen shrimp under warm water.

Add squash, shrimp, and lime juice. Continue to simmer until everything is heated through.

Serve over brown rice and garnish with plenty of lime zest and fried shallots, if desired.

Whole Grain Muffins

I have been baking these muffins for a long time. It's my favorite muffin recipe. They're healthy muffins. Not too sweet. Not much fat at all. Lots of fiber and whole grains.

The recipe comes from a good friend's Mom. When I was studying nutrition in college, I started collecting recipes. In a three-ring binder I still have, there are scraps and bits of papers with recipes scribbled out on them. There are pages of magazines torn out, hole punched, and added to the binder.

There is no organization whatsoever. The binder started as a cookbook assignment for a class. I had recipes organized nicely into categories. There were page numbers. But now, I never look at those pages, I flip to the back where all the scraps of paper are. That's where the good recipes are. The ones I've made over and over since college.

This muffin recipe is written on the back of a microbiology quiz, in purple glitter pen (nothing says college like purple glitter pen, right?). And there are stains on the paper. Proof that I've had it a long time, and made these muffins often.

You can also use this recipe as a base and add other ingredients you have on hand. Want apple muffins instead of raisin? Done. Substitute orange juice for the milk, and you have orange spice muffins. Add some extra flax seeds, or poppy seeds. Throw in a bit of buckwheat flour. I have never had these muffins fail.

Here's the batter. It's full of oatmeal, whole wheat flour, bran flakes, raisins and nuts.

This is another muffin trick I recently learned. Lay them on their side, either in the muffin tin, or on the counter while they cool. It will help keep the outside crisp and prevent it from getting a soggy bottom (NOT what you want in a muffin)!

The recipe makes about 32 muffins. Often times I freeze half to microwave for a quick breakfast. Or, this recipe is easily cut in half.



Ronnie's Whole Grain Muffins


2 c whole wheat flour
2 c rolled oats
2 c bran
Dash salt
2 tsp soda
walnuts and raisins (or any other filling you desire!)

2 eggs
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c honey
4 cups liquid (milk, soymilk, orange juice, water)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease your muffin tins well, or line with wrappers.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In separate bowl, blend the wet ingredients.

Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until combined. Scoop into tins (about 1/3 c at a time) and bake 20 minutes, or until nicely browned and springy when touched.