TANGY TEX-MEX BELL PEPPER SLAW

INGREDIENTS:

For dressing:

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Juice from 1 fresh lime

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For slaw:

2 cups thinly sliced white cabbage

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1 medium jalapeño pepper, deseeded and minced

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Add slaw ingredients to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour before serving, tossing occasionally. Stir in cilantro just before serving.

Pizza Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 6 small bell peppers, any color
• 3/4 cup dried orzo
• 8 ounces Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 14 ounces pizza sauce
• 1/2 cup mini pepperoni
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

Directions:

1. Cut the top off each bell pepper and remove the stems and seeds. Fit the peppers down into a large oval slow cooker. Place a medium pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

2. Meanwhile brown the sausage in a skillet and break apart with a wooden spoon. Once browned add in the chopped onion and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet, followed by the pizza sauce. Stir in 1 cup shredded cheese, then spoon the mixture into the empty peppers.

3. Cover the slow cooker and turn on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Once the peppers are soft, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tops and arrange the mini pepperonis over the piles of cheese. Cover again, and slow cook another 15-20 minutes. Serve warm!

Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 8 cups tomato chunks
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• pinch red pepper flakes
• small bunch of fresh basil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Add wine and simmer until liquid has evaporated, making sure garlic doesn't burn. Stir in tomatoes and a pinch of sea salt.
2. Add oregano and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low and cover for 15 minutes. Covering will help the tomatoes to "sweat" and break down more quickly. Uncover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about an hour.
3. Use an immersion blender to carefully puree the sauce. Add basil the basil and blend it in with the blender or leave whole. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can let the sauce cool and then very carefully puree in a regular blender.
4. Continue to simmer another 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Optional additions: sometimes I like to stir in a small handful of grated Parmesan cheese or a drizzle of balsamic for more flavor. Delicious!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 cups chopped yellow onions (About 2 very large onions)
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 cups chopped Roma Tomatoes 
• 6 cups chicken broth (or swap vegetable broth)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Basil, to garnish
• Cream, if desired

Instructions

1. In a large (at least 6 quart- bigger is even better!) heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until they've started to soften. Add the balsamic, sugar, and garlic and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant.
2. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the chicken broth and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Simmer another five minutes then taste. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
4. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup into the consistency of your choosing. You can make it totally smooth or leave some chunks. I personally like a few chunks. You can also blend this in your blender, but I recommend draining off the liquid and just blending the solids to avoid a blender explosion! Once the solids are blended, add them back to the liquid and stir to combine.
5. To serve, spoon the soup into bowls and top with sliced fresh basil. Swirl with half and half or heavy cream, if desired.
6. To freeze, allow the mixture to cool then ladle it into freezer safe containers or quart size freezer bags. Freeze bags laying flat. Thaw soup in the fridge overnight then reheat on the stovetop.

Cucumber, Salmon & Cream Cheese Rolls

Ingredients

• 2-3 cucumbers, rinsed and patted dry
• 10-12 oz. cream cheese
• 12 oz. smoked salmon
• lemon wedges (garnish)
• 12 toothpicks or skewers

Directions

1. Using a mandolin slicer (or being very attentive with a knife) slice your cucumber lengthwise into 12 even strips. Lay cucumber strips out on a flat surface and set aside.
2. Divide salmon into 12 equal-sized pieces.
3. Take a knife and gently spread cream cheese in the center of 1 piece of salmon. Carefully roll salmon onto itself and place on one end of cucumber strip.
4. Gently roll the cucumber away from yourself, thoroughly wrapping the salmon and cream cheese.
5. Secure roll with a toothpick or skewer and continue with remaining salmon rolls.
6. Transfer to serving plate, garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BROWN RICE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash
• 350g lean Italian sausage
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp thyme leaves (fresh) 
• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

You'll be roasting the acorn squash first, so cut it in half and scoop out all the stringy bits and the seeds from the core of the squash.

Since acorn squash have those beautiful rounded ridges on the outside you'll probably find it's difficult to get them to lie flat on the baking sheet with the inside of the squash facing up. To remedy this, use a large knife to slice off a little of the skin on the outside, creating a small flat surface on the underside of the squash. This works perfectly every time, and it will ensure the squash doesn't fall to one side while it's roasting or even worse, after it's been stuffed, spilling the contents all over the baking sheet.

Once the oven has preheated, place the squash halves on the baking sheet (inside facing up!) and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, cook your brown rice according to the package directions. You'll need about 1 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice for this recipe.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the lean Italian sausage, making sure to remove the casingsso you'll end up with small chunks of meat. Once the sausage just begins to brown, add the diced onion, minced garlic and the chopped bell pepper and continue to saute until the sausage is cooked through the the vegetables are soft. 

Add the cooked rice and the fresh thyme leaves to the pan with the sausage mixture, stirring it around to let the rice absorb the flavours of the sausage and the vegetables.

Once the squash has roasted for 40 minutes, remove it from the oven. Divide the sausage and rice mixture in half and spoon it into each of the squash halves. Fill the squash halves until they're overflowing, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over each half.

Return the squash to the oven after it's been stuffed and roast for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese browns slightly. The filling will settle into the squash, making it easier to slice and serve!

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

Ingredients

• 1 small spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon chile-garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (12 ounce) package broccoli coleslaw mix
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cubed cooked chicken breasts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place spaghetti squash, cut-side up, on a baking sheet.
2. Bake in the preheated oven until squash is tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Shred squash meat using a fork and discard the peel.
3. Combine chicken broth, peanut butter, chile-garlic sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and black pepper together in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Whisk water and cornstarch together in a bowl until smooth; add to broth mixture and continue boiling until sauce thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; saute broccoli slaw, zucchini, red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, and shredded spaghetti squash until tender, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and sauce to squash mixture; cook and stir until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Butternut Squash Fries

Ingredients

• 1 (2 pound) butternut squash, halved and seeded
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut away the peel from the squash. Cut the squash into sticks like French fries. Arrange squash pieces on a baking sheet and season with salt.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, turning the fries over halfway through baking. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and become crispy.