Tag: yellow pepper
Beef Chili with Chicken Chorizo
This is a delicious chili cooked with chorizo- which has immense flavor…
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound grass fed ground beef
- 4 chorizo links, casings taken off and crumbled
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with chili
- 1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a saucepan with olive oil. Add the beef and chorizo and sauté on high heat for 5 to 6 minutes while separating the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the onion, garlic and pepper and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the spices and tomatoes. Saute for another 2 to 3 mintues. Add the black beans, water and salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Take the lid off and cook for another 15 minutes on a low heat, or until the desired consistency is achieved. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro. Serve warm.
Potato and Pepper Home Fries
I wanted to post this recipe for the longest time. I don’t end up making these home fries very often but they are so delicious… they deserve to be on this blog! Try this next time you are in the mood for eggs…
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 6 to 7 green onions, whites and greens chopped and separated
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 to 4 medium yellow potatoes, chopped into ½ inch cubes
- 1 yellow or any color pepper, chopped
- Salt
Add the chopped potatoes to a medium saucepan. Top with water and bring to a boil. Drain and let dry.
Heat a cast iron pan with the olive oil. Add the potatoes and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the whites of the green onions, garlic and yellow pepper and sauté for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add salt and the greens of the green onion. Check for seasonings and serve with brunch or breakfast.
Black Bean and Mango Salad
This salad is perfect for summer time- no cooking involved. Just put some ingredients together and make your vinaigrette and you have a great side dish to complement anything at all. It is even great as a light meal at the end of the day or for lunch with a fried egg on top.
I made it with the fish tacos (recipe to follow tomorrow). I was going to make a simple green salad but then thought of doing a bean salad instead. I had mangoes and sweet peppers in my fridge and paired them with green onions and cilantro. I always have different kinds of canned beans in my pantry. Beans are super healthy and add great texture to any dish.
The dressing was simply, lime juice, honey, roasted cumin and olive oil. You can’t get this delicious vinaigrette out of a bottle and yet it is so simple to make. I added the dressing to the salad and let it sit for a few hours before serving it with the delicious tacos.
It was a big hit- super healthy and delicious- and best of all, very easy to make.
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Indian Omelet Sandwiches with Potato Home Fries
After a busy, hectic but delicious Thanksgiving weekend I am usually in the mood for ethnic food. I crave really spicy food. In fact I wanted it so much that I went to Edison and ate Indian street food to my hearts content.
The craving for spicy food prompted this particular meal. It makes a great breakfast but I made it for dinner. This Indian style omelet is served on the streets in Delhi, where I grew up. I remember going to an open market near our home and eating this with white bread. Yum- white bread is delicious and so I decided to buy a crispy baguette and make omelet sandwiches. Onions and chilies are chopped and sauteed. Eggs are beaten with fresh cilantro, salt, cayenne pepper and garam masala. I added extra cayenne in mine- yum!
While I was trying to decide what to serve with the sandwiches, home fries came to mind. While I was in school, my parents owned a deli. My Mom would make the most delicious potato home fries to serve with breakfast sandwiches. I replicated those for this meal. The home fries are quite easy to make – boiled potatoes, green or any colored peppers and the key ingredient was dried oregano. The were cooked on the griddle until crispy. At home, I made them in a cast iron skillet to ensure a nice golden brown color and even cooking.
The whole meal turned out really delicious. I made a cheese omelet for my daughter as she is not into the spicy egg concoctions. I gave her some veggies on the side and called it a night. I somehow didn’t feel like drinking wine with this particular meal- I guess my childhood memories didn’t include the alcoholic beverage. Although a beer or a riesling would be delicious!
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cayenne pepper
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Beat the eggs with salt, garam masala, cayenne pepper and cilantro and beat well. Keep aside.
- 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 serrano chilies, chopped
2 sour dough rolls, cut in half and toasted
In a large non-stick frying pan, add olive oil. Add the onions and chilies and sauté on medium heat till the onions are golden brown- about 5 minutes. Add the egg mixture and cook on medium heat till the egg mixture begins to cook. Roll into an omelet shape and cut into half. Serve each half in the toasted roll with home fries on the side.
Home Fries
- 4 medium yellow potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
In a small saucepan, add the potatoes and top with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or till the potatoes are soft.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- ½ red pepper, chopped
- ½ yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
In a non stick frying pan, add the olive oil. Add the peppers and potatoes. Mix well and cook on medium high heat, turning once in a while so the potatoes begin to brown. Add the oregano, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well and cook for another 15- 20 minutes or, till the potatoes are crispy and golden brown. Check for seasonings and sprinkle with cilantro and serve with egg sandwiches.
Roasted Pasta Primavera
This is the third dish I made with the marinara sauce I cooked a few days ago. It’s a great way to stretch the buck. I have already made chicken parm, mushroom pizza and now roasted pasta primavera. Pasta primavera is typically a dish where the vegetables are the focus.
Years ago my husband worked as a consultant and traveled all over. While he was on a project in Los Angeles, I would go visit him on the weekends and we would go out for meals all over LA. His favorite place was a local Italian restaurant close to the hotel that served pasta primavera with angel hair. He loved it- and still talks about it. Since then I have made it many different ways- this time I decided to roast the vegetables. I think this is my favorite version of the dish! Roasting the vegetables gives the pasta dish a very sweet and nutty flavor. It is my favorite way of preparing vegetables for any dish now- it is easy and fast and it transforms the veggies into a soft gooey sweet concoction! Adding the fresh basil and parmigiano cheese took the pasta to a whole new level. I purchased fresh baked kalamata olive bread. I sliced and toasted it with a drizzle of olive oil- it was fabulous with the pasta!
My daughter watched me cook the dish and was not happy seeing all the veggies going into the pan. I reminded her not to have a closed mind asked her to try it and what do you know- she loved it!
- 1-2 zucchini, diced small
- 1 yellow pepper, diced small
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the vegetables mixed with the olive oil and salt on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes or till they are soft and golden brown. Keep aside.
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- ½ pound angel hair pasta, cooked
- ½ cup fresh basil, torn
- ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
- Salt to taste
In a wide frying pan, heat the marinara sauce on medium heat. Add the roasted vegetables and mix well. Next, add the cooked pasta, basil and cheese. Mix well and add salt if necessary.
Yellow Pepper Rice with Peas
I remember when I felt a little sick my Mom would give me toast with strawberry jam, some cheese and a cup of milky fennel tea. For dinner she would typically make something light – rice and lentils. That is what I had today- I toasted a piece of baguette for lunch with a little strawberry jam and a slice of asiago cheese. I did make the fennel tea- the fennel aroma helps the stuffy nose. I made toor dal for dinner and was debating what kind of rice to make with the lentils. I was tired of making the same kind of rice, either plain or with onions and peas. I started to think outside the box and remembered I have peppers in the fridge. Initially I imagined cutting a yellow or orange pepper and sautéing it with onion and garlic- but then I thought- maybe I should cook them in the pan and puree them in a blender to make a sauce and cook the rice in it! That is exactly what I did. I have made cilantro rice with the same method so why not any other vegetable! It came our very well and went fabulously with the lentils. I used the yellow pepper but any pepper can be used- my daughter couldn’t guess how the rice turned yellow! This is a great side dish with a steak, chicken or even fish. You can even add grated cheese to it- spicy jack would go really well. Other vegetables can be added also, like mushrooms, asparagus or even spinach. I added raisins to my rice dish- they are optional- I know a lot of people don’t like sweet and savory flavors together. I debated if I should add raisins since my daughter is not a big fan- but I love them so much in my savory dishes that I went ahead and did it anyway. She just picked them out as she ate the rice!
- 1 yellow pepper, sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chicken broth
In a medium pot, heat the olive oil. Add the cumin seeds, pepper, onion, garlic and salt. Saute on low heat and cover for 10 minutes till the mixture gets soft. Blend the onion and pepper mixture with the chicken broth till smooth.
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup frozen petite peas
- ¼ cup raisins, optional
Pour the smooth sauce back in the pot and cook on medium heat. Stir constantly and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and sauté for a minute. Next, add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat when the broth evaporates and big holes begin to form on the surface. Add salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas and raisins, cover and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.