Bell Pepper Festival

This is the first recipe I tried from Molly Katzen's "Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without". I've been mixing this with rice and my husband loves it.

Pile this colorful combination of soft sweet onions and crisp, bright barely cooked peppers on top of (or in the case of rice or pasta, mixed in with) anything you want to spruce up: grilled tofu or fish, an open-faced cheese sandwich, an omelet, pasta, rice - really anything.

Place a large, wide, shallow skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.

Turn the heat to high and add 1 cup thinly sliced onion. Cook it quickly until it wilts and becomes translucent. This will take only about 3-5 minutes.

When the onion becomes very soft, add 4 medium thinly sliced bell peppers (about 1-1/2 lbs of assorted bright colours), salt and 1-1/2 teaspoons minced or crushed garlic. After about a minute over strong heat, turn the heat down to medium, and continue to cook and stir (tongs work best!) for only about 5 minutes longer. The peppers should be barely cooked. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature in any context.

This dish will keep for up to a week if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. You can use it incrementally as desired.

Shakshuka with Feta

From New York Times.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with juices, coarsely chopped
¾ teaspoon salt, more as needed
¼ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)
6 large eggs
Chopped cilantro, for serving 

Hot sauce, for serving

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in crumbled feta.

• Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.

Quick Sweet & Sour Stir-Fry

From Budget Bytes.

• 1 lb. frozen stir fry vegetables $1.98
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil $0.04
• 1 clove garlic $0.08
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar $0.03
• 1 Tbsp ketchup $0.03
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce $0.06
• ½ Tbsp rice vinegar $0.06
• ¼ cup water $0.00
• 1.5 tsp corn starch $0.02
• ⅛ tsp ground ginger (optional) $0.02

1. Make the sweet and sour sauce first. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, corn starch, and ginger (if using). Stir until combined.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Mince the garlic, add it to the skillet and saute for 1-2 minutes or just until it is slightly softened.
3. Add the frozen vegetables to the skillet or wok and saute just until warmed through (1-3 minutes depending on whether the vegetables were thawed or frozen).
4. Give the sweet and sour sauce a quick stir to re-suspend the cornstarch and then pour it into the skillet. Allow the mixture to come up to a simmer. As soon as it simmers it will thicken. Make sure everything is heated through and then serve.

Notes

Serve over cooked rice, noodles, or on its own.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

I finally found a perfect way of cooking Brussels sprouts and it's a dish that even my boys liked.

2 oz bacon, minced

2 lb brussels sprouts (weight after outer leaves and stems removed)

4 cloves garlic, minced or sliced thin (or use garlic powder)

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

With a large sharp knife, finely shred the brussels sprouts after thoroughly washing. In a deep heavy saute pan, sauté bacon on medium-low heat until fat melts and bacon becomes golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until golden. Add shredded brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to taste and sauté on medium-low heat for about 4-5 minutes until tender crisp.