Recipe- Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Sorry the photo is so drab - I forgot to take a picture plated.  These are the leftovers.  This is an easy Mexican dish with lots of flavor - one of my favorites.  Serve it with some refried black beans - heat up a can of drained black beans.  Add a bit of salt & pepper and a pinch of cumin and puree with a stick blender.  Yummy!  Oh yeah, make the flour tortilla recipe with it too.

Just a word of caution - be sure to get the poblano peppers (or you can use green bell peppers).  Sometimes the vegetable department people don't know the difference between a poblano and an aneheim pepper and the aneheims can get pretty hot depending on the crop.

5 Poblano peppers cut in half with seeds and ribs removed
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef (or 1 lb ground turkey & 1/2 lb ground beef)
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
Salt & pepper
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup salsa

Brown meat in a skillet.  Drain fat and add onion and garlic until cooked thru.  Add rice, chili powder, tomato sauce and salt & pepper to taste.  In a 9x13 casserole dish, place peppers on the bottom.  Fill each pepper with meat mixture.  Top peppers with cheese and salsa.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Recipe - Argentinian Pie

Argentinian Pie

Some friends from Argentina introduced me to this simple but super yummy dinner.  The basic idea is that you put anything you want into a pie shell and bake it - meats, cheeses, vegetables, eggs.  You can bake it open faced or with another crust on top.  This one was particularly yummy.

1 pie crust
sliced hearts of palm
thinly sliced double smoked ham
baby spinach
4 scrambled eggs, salted and peppered
shredded swiss cheese

Place the pie crust in a pie dish.  Layer in hearts of palm, ham, and spinach.  Pour in egg mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until eggs are set.

Recipe - Maderas (Sweet Plantains)

Maderas

For those who miss the food in Costa Rica...these are those sweet plantains - super easy to make.

1 ripe plantain (I mean RIPE - the skin should be completely black)
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp brown sugar
Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Melt butter in a med-high pan.  Add plantains and brown on both sides.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and take off the heat. 

Recipe - Asian Chicken with Sweet Potato Salsa

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Asian Chicken with Sweet Potato Salsa

Sweet and yummy!

Asian Chicken
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp chile paste
5 cloves minced garlic
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper.  Heat oiled pan over med-high heat.  Brown chicken on both sides until almost cooked thru.  Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and add to chicken all at once.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked thru.

Sweet Potato Salsa

1 1/2 lb cubed sweet potatoes
Juice of 1 orange
1 minced fresh jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed)
4 minced green onions
Juice of 1 lime
Dash of salt

Cook cubed sweet potatoes in boiling water until soft.  Cool potatoes in cold running water and drain.  Add remaining ingredients to sweet potatoes and chill for at least 1 hour for flavors to meld.