Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Pepper Recipe

I've been cooking more vegetarian and even vegan recipes lately. One reason is the Meatless Monday effort sponsored by the John Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Health. The idea is to help reduce meat consumption by 15% in order to improve both the health of individuals and the health of the planet. But it also has a lot to do with challenging myself to try new things.

When it comes to cooking, I love a good challenge. Cooking with less meat or none at all inspires me. I do better with fewer ingredients than more ingredients. In a way, it forces you to be creative and think outside the box. Or in this case, the refrigerator. You know the saying, necessity is the mother of invention? It always reminds me of my experiences as a babysitter back when I was a teenager. At some point while babysitting either I, or the kids I was watching would get hungry. It was sometimes a challenge for me to come up with something tasty to eat based on whatever I could find in an unfamiliar kitchen.

Stuffed peppers are an acquired taste. I like them, but my dad doesn't. I know this because when I was growing up we only ate them when he was out of town. If you like the earthy flavor of roasted peppers and quinoa, you will like this dish. It combines a number of vegetables with quinoa and nuts to give you lots of flavors and textures in each bite. The filling is basically a quinoa pilaf, so feel free to swap out the chard for another leafy green or change up the nuts. I used Roland red quinoa but I didn't think that it tasted much different from white quinoa. Originally I thought I would top it with cheese but upon tasting it, I didn't feel like it needed it. I also think you could make this without the sauce if you prefer. You know the drill, make this recipe yours.


Quinoa Stuffed Poblano PeppersMakes 4 servings as a side dish, or 2 entree serving

Ingredients

2 poblano peppers, cut in half, seeds removed
1 cup water
1/2 cup white or red quinoa
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 cups swiss chard leaves, shredded
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, crushed and liquid

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine water and quinoa in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover; cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Saute mushrooms, onion and garlic, stirring frequently for 8 minutes or onion is tender. Stir in chard and let it wilt. Add cooked quinoa and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into peppers. Add the tomatoes and liquid to a baking pan large enough to hold the peppers. Tuck the peppers into the sauce and bake for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Avocado Salad

Some taste combinations are just magical - like that of avocado and lime. These refreshing flavors shine in this simple salad.

Ingredients
3 avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
Mix chopped avocado, tomato, and parsley together. In small bowl, whisk vinegar, lime juice, sea salt, and pepper. Pour vinegar and lime juice mixture over the vegetables and toss.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy

Add some homemade treats to your Easter basket this year! This candy has a smooth and creamy middle and is coated in a lovely, delicate chocolate. I have fond memories of eagerly awaiting the arrival of Easter each year, since that was the only occasion for which my mom would make these for my sister and me. Hope you enjoy these as much as I have!

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate wafers for coating (I use E. Guittard's 61% cacao semisweet wafers and love the results I get)

Instructions
With mixer, beat butter and cream cheese. Add egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla, and continue beating. Mix in peanut butter and beat until well combined. Chill batter for 1/2 hour. Form batter into egg shapes (or whatever shapes you want) and chill again for 1/2 hour. Melt chocolate, and coat peanut butter shapes with the chocolate.

Introducing the Wines of Portugal

A few weeks ago I attended an informal Portuguese wine tasting with Jardiniere Wine Director, the utterly charming, Eugenio Jardim. It was very gratifying for me on a number of levels. A few years ago, during the process of writing WinePassport: Portugal I got very excited about Portuguese wines. My enthusiasm has not waned. I am happy whenever I meet those who also enjoy sharing the pleasures of Portuguese wines, of which there are many.

Jardim had just returned from Portugal where he tried lots of wine and even wrote about regions of the country. We started out with one of my favorites, a Luis Pato sparkling wine from Bairrada and then proceeded with several wines I was unfamiliar with but enjoyed greatly. Then a week or so ago I went to a wine tasting of Portuguese wines that lacked distributors on the West Coast. The mood was giddy as wine writers, retailers and sommeliers discovered unique and captivating wines at often bargain prices. While red table wines from the Douro valley are becoming more common, there is much more to discover.

Next week Vini Portugal will host it's annual wine tasting event in San Francisco on April 5th, 2010, and Evan Goldstein will be giving master classes. I can't wait! If you are interested in Portuguese wines, this is THE event to attend.

While I suggest you also purchase a copy of WinePassport: Portugal, here are tips from Jardim for enjoying Portuguese wines and my comments as well:

1. Portugal is where you will find tremendous value when it comes to wine. Try something new, you don't have much to lose.

2. Don't get hung up on the varietals. As Jardim pointed out, they can be hard to pronounce and many wines are blends. When starting out, look to regions and styles instead.

3. Portugal is the last frontier. This is ironic, because Portugal has been making wine for a very, very long time. Grapes were brought to Portugal by the Phoenicians in 600 BC and Portugal has been exporting wine since the 14th century.

4. The native varieties are wonderful. Some may be similar to varietals in Spain, but others are completely unique and more often than not, food friendly.

Stonehouse 27 Indian Sauces

I'm not big on convenience foods in general, but I like the idea of an Indian "simmer sauce" to create a quick meal at home with whatever meat, seafood, tofu or vegetables I happen to have on hand. Unfortunately I never found a brand of Indian sauces that really delivered. The flavors were not great or they were too oily. Well, problem solved. Stonehouse 27 makes a line of Indian sauces that are very high quality with no artificial ingredients or preservatives. They even use agave syrup in place of the more common corn syrup and are gluten-free and vegetarian (and mostly vegan).

The sauces are not necessarily what you might find at a typical Indian restaurant. They are inspired by the Portuguese and Anglo-Indian heritage of the company’s founder, Sharon Fernandes. I was given samples around the time of the Fancy Food Show earlier this year and recently had the chance to try the Tamarind and Garlic, Cilantro and Coconut and the Cashews and Cream sauces with various fresh ingredients. I was really struck by the bright freshness of the flavors. The tamarind was nice and tangy, the cashew and coconut was creamy and rich. They are very flexible and easy to use. If you use meat and vegetables they make a very tasty one dish meal. Frankly they are better than the Indian food I can get delivered.

They are a bit more expensive than other sauces I've seen at about $8 for a jar, but for the quality and convenience I think they are well worth the money. Half a jar and half a pound of shrimp or chicken plus some vegetables made enough for at least three servings.I do think you need a bit of cooking sense to use them. The time necessary for simmering depends on the size you have cut your meat or vegetables. And I like that they are unsalted so I can season to taste. But even when I am bleary-eyed making a satisfying meal with these sauces is a breeze and a nice change of pace from jars of spaghetti sauce. Keep your eyes open for them stores near you or purchase online.

All about Savoy Cabbage

Savoy cabbage is the prettiest cabbage of all, with its fantastic crinkly leaves and its contrasting dark on pale color palette. Only a few outer leaves are dark green and quite so textured, inside it is creamy and pale. Despite its rugged appearance it's actually very tender and sweet. Best of all, it cooks quickly and easily and it doesn't have the sulfur odor so distinctive in other cabbage; just don't over cook it. Savoy cabbage is named for the Savoy region, a medieval duchy on the border of Italy, France and Switzerland. But I think we should call it by its lovely Italian name, cavolo verza. Now that's the name of a star!

Savoy cabbage is high in vitamin K, vitamin C and fiber. It's also a very good source of fiber, manganese, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Heads of savoy cabbage are so large it's a good idea to have several dishes in mind when you purchase or harvest it. Because it is so tender, don't shy away from using it in salads. Just use salt and a vinegar or lemony dressing to help it wilt.

I like just about all cabbages, but savoy cabbage is my favorite and not just because it is so beautiful and healthy. The sweetness of savoy cabbage makes it a wonderful foil for rich and salty foods like duck confit, bacon or sausages. But because it is naturally mild and sweet, it is equally delicious as a bed for mild white fish or seafood. It can be cooked or used raw. It can be braised, roasted or boiled, and it's very easy to saute it in butter, olive oil or bacon fat. It can be used in preserved recipes like kimchi or sauerkraut.

Here are some ways to use savoy cabbage:

* Steam and serve with fish, or wrap the fish in the leaves and steam

* Saute it with boiled potatoes, garlic and onions

* Stuff the leaves with rice or potatoes and ground meat

* Add to minestrone

* Make sauerkraut

* Make kimchi

* Saute with bacon and spaetzle

* Use in borscht

* Shred it with carrots and seaon with apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt to make cole slaw

* Saute cabbage, bacon and onions then toss with egg noodles

* Combine with sliced sugar snap peas and a creamy dressing in slaw

Favorites from the Chocolate Salon

Did you make it to the Chocolate Salon this past weekend? It just gets better and better every year. There are salons held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and Las Vegas annually. In addition to trying tons of chocolate, one of the best things about attending a Chocolate Salon is that you get to meet many chocolatiers in person.

This year I was a judge and got a chance to try pounds and pounds of chocolate even before the actual event. I discovered there is a lot of very mundane chocolate, but also some amazingly good stuff from new confectioners who have only been open for business for barely a year or two.

A perennial favorite of mine is Amano, and this year they took many of the top awards. But since I've written about Amano before, I'm going to focus on chocolatiers that were new to me. Keep your eyes open for their fantastic chocolate and chocolate confections!


Bill Brown is the soft-spoken chocolatier behind William Dean Chocolates, named after his two grandfathers. His chocolates are exquisite and beautiful too! The popular peanut butter and jelly chocolate is what first grabbed me. His talent really shines in everything he makes with fruit, even pate de fruits. I also loved the bitter green tea white chocolate bar and the tropical caramel because they were not too sweet.


Clarine's Florentine's cookies dipped in chocolate are hands down the best florentines I've ever tried. There is something to be said for doing one thing, and doing it very well. The cookies have tons of toasted caramelized flavor and the chocolate is rich and luxurious. Like taking a little vacation in cookie form. Made in Berkeley.


Oakland based Vice chocolates are really something special. Named Vice because the chocolatier found on an elimination diet that chocolate was one thing she could still eat. The dark chocolate, fig and anise seed bar was a unique combination of flavors and textures. It's dark, sultry and exotic, a most sophisticated fruit and spice bar. All the chocolates are very adult and intense. When it comes to the bon bons, I especially liked the Domina, a dark chocolate ganache infused with tangy crème fraîche, black tea, bergamont, and orange oil and the Violent Heart, filled with a chipotle infused caramel.

Quite a few of my favorites also happened to be local to the Bay Area:

Her Coconess made me rethink rocky road. High quality ingredients is what makes it so good. Imagine super toasty fresh almonds, delicate marshmallows all wrapped in dark chocolate. Mmmmm!

The Cocoa Delice cognac truffle was the best truffle at the show, in my opinion. Not too boozy, but very rich.

Dolce Bella made the crispiest toffee. A nice light crunch, very buttery, but not the kind of toffee that sticks in your teeth.

Another toffee-like treat was from Kika's Treats--caramelized graham crackers dipped in dark chocolate. A brand new comfort food, I could nibble on these all day.

Coco-luxe's cinnamon chocolate almonds are a nice twist on the usual chocolate almond. Very snackable (if that's a word).

A couple honorable mentions:
Kay Dillon's confections were surprisingly good, especially since they are vegan. She uses coconut and all organic ingredients. Dillon is a seasoned pastry chef with a wedding cake business, but her caramels and ganache are also wonderful.

Alter Eco fair trade certified chocolate has come a long way. The smooth textured Blackout bar has deep cocoa powder flavor and the Velvet bar has a touch of milk chocolate but also a very creamy smooth texture. The Quinoa bar is like the best ever version of a Nestle Crunch. These bars are a very good value and can be found at supermarkets.

Check out all the award winners.