For the peppers:
1/2 lb sweet italian pork sausage
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup white rice
1 medium onion, diced
salt to taste
4 medium bell peppers

For the sauce (very improv – use what you have):
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 large shallot, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red chili pepper, minced
dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

In a large braising pan/large stock pot sautee onion and shallot and hot pepper in olive oil until soft; add garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes with their liquid and a good sprinkling of oregano. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer; cook over medium heat until thick. Use a wooden spoon to break up tomatoes.

In the meantime, core and seed the bell peppers, and cut in half. in a mixing bowl, mix rice, onion, meats, and salt together; use your hands to mix thoroughly. Divide into 8 even portions and stuff into cavities of bell peppers.

When sauce is thick, gently place bell peppers meat-side-up in pan. Cover, and let cook over medium-low until meat is cooked through and rice is soft, about 20 minutes.

I found a recipe for ginger beef which looked tasty. We don’t usually keep beef around but we often have chicken. We doubled the sauce ingredients, and instead of doubling the chicken added some sliced cabbage, green peppers, carrot and onion. In future I would cut the corn starch in half – the sauce got VERY gummy and we had to thin it out. But it is intensely flavorful, really strong ginger flavor.

The recipe is here. My alterations:
I used frozen phyllo, yellow squash in place of zucchini, onions in place of leeks, and Greek yogurt in place of ricotta. I used a 9×13 pan instead of a large round pan.

Results: the pastry was wonderfully buttery, crisp and flaky. Awesome. The filling: I could have made 2 pies with this much filling, and there’s too much cheese/yogurt in contrast to the vegetables. Next time I would cut the cheese/yogurt in half, and also about 2/3 of the dill – the dill is very strong and overpowers the subtle zucchini and onion.

I used this recipe, and it is WONDERFUL – it positively glistens when it’s finished. Next time, I will roast at least 1/2 of the vegetables – this uses a LOT of oil, and I think roasting will add complexity to the overall flavor. I didn’t have fresh rosemary or thyme so I used dried. Also, I used water instead of vegetable stock, and I added a little white wine vinegar for depth of flavor. (Also, don’t be afraid of the photo, which looks terrifying and clumpy – it is much prettier in reality!)

Between the two of us, we ate almost 3/4 of this in one meal – it was that good. The remainder I tossed with some boiled pasta, and it made a wonderful, rich pasta sauce.

1/2 large eggplant, diced small
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 small shallots (or 1 large), diced
dried thyme and rosemary
EVOO
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
1 cup brown rice

Toss vegetables together in 9×13, drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper to taste, generously season with thyme and rosemary. Roast at 375oF for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables are soft and slightly browned.

Meanwhile, cook rice according to directions. When rice is finished, keep covered to steam.

When vegetables and rice are done, mix together in large bowl; drizzle with balsamic vinegar, add salt and pepper as necessary.

Chop vegetables into bite-size pieces; leave tomatoes whole. Pour into 9×13 pan. Drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme, then toss to evenly coat. Put in 350oF oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until vegetables are soft and browning.

Serve with anything!

Anyway this is what we’ve been getting:

• kale
• chard
• eggplant
• onions
• garlic
• shallots
• tomatoes
• acorn squash
• celery
• beets

Here’s what we’ve been doing with it:

• roasted vegetables
• ratatouille
• pasta w/ pesto and tomatoes
• ginger chicken stir fry (
• beet greens & blue cheese quiche
• zucchini pie
• kale chips

And here’s what we’ve canned:

• 3 pints of pickled mixed jalapenos & Hungarian hot peppers
• 2 pints of corn relish
• 3 pints of salsa
• 4 1/2 quarts pickled cabbage

Recipes to follow.

• 3 medium zucchini/crook-necked summer squash, diced; 1 extra zucchini or squash to cut round slices for topping
• 3 bunches scallions, diced
• EVOO
• salt to taste
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup strained plain yogurt/Greek yogurt
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1 cup grated mild cheddar
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill (1 large bunch, approx)
• ground pepper to taste
• sweet paprika

Preheat oven to 350oF. Generously spray an 11×14 baking dish with cooking oil.

Heat 1/2 cup EVOO over medium heat in large saute pan. Add scallions and zucchini, salt lightly, then cook approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 1/2. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs for 2 minutes until frothy. Beat in Greek yogurt. Fold in flour and baking powder. Fold in cheeses and zucchini/onion mixture. Fold in dill. Salt to taste (shouldn’t need much!!!), pepper generously, and sprinkle lightly with paprika; stir gently. Pour into prepared pan, top with 12-16 1/4-inch thick zucchini slices. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 1 hour. Let cool at least 30 minutes before eating.

I think this would also be good with other cheese-filling combos: think caramelized onions, tomatoes, and blue cheese, maybe with a little crumbled bacon.

1/2 lb pasta (I like bowties for this)
1 cup crumbled feta
3 Tbsp butter
salt to taste
(2 med-large tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces — optional)

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain.

While pasta is in colander, add butter to pan; let brown over low heat until fragrant. Let cool 5 minutes (trust me). Add pasta to pan, stir; add feta; salt to taste. If you are adding tomatoes, now is the time to add them. Then serve up! This will serve 2 for dinner with enough left over for 2 lunches.

Add lentils and eggplant, just cover with water; bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer till eggplant and lentils are soft. Drain most of the water off. Mash with a potato masher.

In a frying pan, sautee onion, and jalapeno over medium heat in olive oil till soft. Add garlic, sautee 1 minute till fragrant. Add turmeric, mustard seeds, and cumin; sautee till fragrant. Add onion mixture to lentil-eggplant mush; add coconut milk; fold to combine. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, salt to taste. Add a little bit of mango chutney (or other light-colored jam, but that’s what I had in the fridge) if you want a little sweetness to counter the salty.

Serve with boiled basmati rice, or plain. REALLY easy and very delicious!