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I am not a big pepper fan, but I do love grilled peppers.

It’s that time of year again – when the grill is used in full force and we look for fantastic vegetable side dish recipes for picnics, barbecues and everyday easy dinner recipes.

This pepper recipe looks wonderful if you use a variety of colorful peppers – red, green, yellow, purple and orange.

If you like things hot, you can do two things. You can add a bit of your favorite hot sauce to the marinade recipe.

You can also add a few hot peppers, like jalapeno peppers. The mix of sweet and hot peppers will add a bit of spice to the meal.

If you really like it hot, use all hot peppers in the recipe. Really make sure though that everyone who will be eating these grilled peppers like things as hot as you do, or it will be very uncomfortable, and possibly inedible, for them.

The marinade recipe combines healthy olive oil with lemon juice and a bit of Worcestershire sauce for tangy flavor.

Serve this tasty vegetable recipe as a side dish with grilled beef or chicken. It’s also a great vegetarian recipe.

Grilled Pepper Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
salt and pepper to taste
6 – 8 assorted peppers

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and set aside. Cut the peppers into 2 or 4 pieces. Place the pieces on a plate and season them. Pour the marinade over the pieces and marinade for 15 minutes.

Oil the grill and set it to medium heat. Cook the peppers over medium heat, turning often and basting occasionally until they are softened and the skin is blackened in spots.

Tip:

• If you like it hot, add a few drops (or as many as you like) of hot sauce to the marinade.
• If you like you can remove the skin from the peppers before serving them.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories 33; Calories from Fat 31; Total Fat 3.4g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 98mg; Total Carbohydrates 0.8g; Protein 0.0g; Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 3%; Calcium 0%; Iron 1%

(Percentages based on a 2000 calorie per day diet)

If you like these grilled peppers, you will find a wide assortment of recipes for outdoor living on the main site.

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Tags: grilled peppers, grilling recipes, pepper recipe, vegetable recipes, vegetable side dish recipe

If you are a lover of tuna recipes, you will love this tuna melt. It is absolutely delicious.

A tuna melt recipe is much like tuna salad, with a few extra ingredients for color and an added flavor zip.

This particular recipe adds just a bit of onion, some fresh sweet red or green pepper for crunch and color and a bit of kernel corn, again for color and crunch.

The flavor explosion continues with a bit of ready made mustard and a touch of Worcestershire sauce added to the mayonnaise.

Of course if you are a Miracle Whip user rather than a mayo user, go ahead and make the switch. Either is fine, although the taste will be slightly different.

The original recipe I was given put the tuna mixture on English muffins. You can certainly use that but I prefer crust bread or crusty rolls, ideally whole grain.

This is one of my favorite lunch recipes, along with a small salad, some crunchy cole slaw or simply a few veggie sticks.

Tuna Melt Recipe

2 – 7 ounce cans tuna, well drained
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup green or red pepper, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup corn kernels (optional)
6 slices crusty bread or rolls, halved
6 tomato slices
1/4 cup skim milk mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced

Turn on the broiler element in your oven so it will heat up while you put together the tuna sandwich.

Combine the tuna, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, onion corn kernels and green pepper, and mix well.

Toast the crusty bread or cut rolls lightly under the broiler.

Spread the tuna mixture evenly on each of the rolls. Top with tomato slices and slices of cheese.

Broil for 2-3 minutes to heat the tuna and melt the cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

Variation:

• This is a higher fat version but absolutely fabulous – Combine an extra 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise with grated mozzarella or monterray jack cheese and spread it over the tomatoes. Broil as above.
• To up the color component and nutritional value even more, add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley to the tuna mixture.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories 313; Calories from Fat 134; Total Fat 14.9g; Saturated Fat 4.0g; Cholesterol 36mg; Sodium 363mg; Total Carbohydrates 18.8g; Dietary Fiber 1.4g; Sugars 3.7g; Protein 25.4g; Vitamin A 9%; Vitamin C 13%; Calcium 19%; Iron 9%

(Percentages based on a 2000 calorie per day diet)

For more fish and seafood recipes like this tuna melt, go here on our main site.

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Tags: fish recipes, lunch recipes, tuna melt, tuna melt recipe, tuna recipes

This salsa recipe gets a bit of sweet from the addition of mango, that luscious sweet tropical delight.

I love mango but would not have thought to add it to a salsa.

This is a simple recipe for salsa that really packs a punch.

The mango brings that touch of sweet, which is balanced by the chipotle chile in adobo sauce and the lime juice.

Of course salsa needs tomatoes, and these fire roasted canned tomatoes add another dimension of flavor.

Add some green onion and a bit of cilantro and you have a fantastic salsa that is great with tortilla chips and used to top burritos or other Mexican recipes.

This salsa is also wonderful used as a sauce over grilled fish or chicken.

I think you will like it. If you do, don’t forget to like us on Facebook and Google+ and pin us on Pinterest.

Salsa Recipe with Mango and Chipotle Chile

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

1 – 14 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 ripe medium mango, peeled, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup sliced green onions (about 4 medium)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Place drained tomatoes into a food processor or blender. Cover and process until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Place them in a medium bowl.

Stir in the remaining ingredients. Make the salsa up to 24 hours ahead of time, and store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Serve this wonderful fruit salsa with meat or fish, or with tortilla chips as desired.

Makes 6 servings.

This set is perfect for serving nibbles, appetizers and add-ons. Use it to serve small bowls of this fruit salsa. Emeril 7-pc. Flame Table Art Serving Set, Red

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories 29; Calories from Fat 3; Total Fat 0.4g; Cholesterol 1mg; Sodium 156mg; Total Carbohydrates 6.8g; Dietary Fiber 1.6g; Sugars 4.9g; Protein 1.0g; Vitamin A 17%; Vitamin C 26%; Calcium 1%; Iron 3%

(Percentages based on a 2000 calorie per day diet)

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Tags: appetizer recipes, fruit salsa, Mexican recipes, salsa recipe

In their new cookbook, Allergy Friendly Food for Families, the publishers of Kiwi magazine address the difficult needs of feeding children and adults alike who have allergies and food intolerances.

This fantastic cookbook contains 120 new recipes, all of which are gluten-free, dairy-rree, nut-free, egg-free, and soy-free.

It is a wonderful cookbook for children and adults alike, especially for a family where one or more people suffer from food related intolerances.

Here is a delicious recipe for a dip with a difference that is in the book. This green monter dip gets its name from the spinach that is mixed with chickpeas and seasonings in a take on hummus spread.

The recipe is soy-free, egg-free, nut-free, dairy-free and gluten-free, so it will be suitable for many people with a variety of food issues.

I love hummus and adding spinach is something I never even thought of. It is SO healthy and a dip is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies.

(Find out why spinach is so good for us here.)

The baby spinach leaves give hummus a beautiful vibrant color and kids will find it fun to eat with the carrot “coins”.

Green Monster Dip with Carrot Coins

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1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups packed baby spinach
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally

Add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, water, olive oil, garlic, and salt to a food processor and puree until smooth.

Add the spinach, 1 cup at a time, and puree until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and serve alongside the carrots.

Serves 8

Per serving: Calories 120; Fat 5 g; Protein 4 g; Carbohydrates 17 g; Dietary Fiber 4 g

Tip:
For larger crowds, you can easily double the recipe and prepare it in batches.

Learn more about the new cookbook Allergy Friendly Food for Families: 120 Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Egg-Free, and Soy-Free Recipes Everyone Will Love.

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Tags: allergy friendly food, allergy friendly recipes, celiac recipes, cookbook recipes, cookbook reviews, dairl free recipes`, dairy-free, egg free recipes, egg-free, gluten free, gluten free recipes, nut free recipes, nut-free, soy free recipes, soy-free, wheat free recipes

This fantastic biscuit recipe comes from a great new cookbook all about using lard in cooking, especially for baking tender crusts and doughs.

Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient shows us that pure lard is not the unhealthy food we have been let to believe.

Pure lard actually has less saturated fat than butter. It also has the same healthy monounsaturated fats contained in olive oil.

I just love biscuits and these lard biscuits come out perfectly.

In our parents and grandparents days, biscuits and pie crusts were usually made with lard and in my opinion they are still the best recipes around.

Here is what the writers of this new cookbook have to say about their recipe for lard biscuits:

“These biscuits are as authentic as they come, from a time when lard from the family’s hog and milk from the backyard cow were common fare. Make these for a big family supper, as biscuits are best when eaten fresh from the oven.”

This certainly is a different cookbook, but if you love making authentic, traditional delicious recipes and want to open your mind to cooking with lard, I highly suggest you buy this fantastic cookbook.

I personally think we need to get back to basics a little more in our world, and these recipes are a step in that direction.

Lard Biscuit Recipe

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1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon lard, cold and coarsely chopped, plus more for greasing the pan

2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon salted butter, melted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Grease a baking sheet with lard and set aside.

Place 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and the salt in a large mixing bowl; whisk together. Using a pastry blender, work the lard into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and stir.

On a sheet of wax paper, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Turn the dough mixture onto the wax paper and knead for 5 minutes.

Roll out the dough to a 1-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter; Or, if you prefer, you can drop the dough using a large spoon onto the prepared baking sheet. Spaced the biscuits 1 inch apart and pat them down a bit. For color you can brush the biscuits with melted butter if desired.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F, or until the tops are golden brown.

Makes 1 dozen medium sized biscuits.





You will find another fantastic recipe from Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient on the blog here, Fiesta Beef Pot Pie.

And there are more biscuit and scone recipes on the main site here.

Have a look at the book:


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Tags: biscuit recipe, biscuit recipes, how to make biscuits, lard biscuits, lard recipes

This delicious beef pot pie recipe comes from a very different new cookbook, Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient.

“Lard?” you might say. Yes, this new cookbook extols the virtues of cooking and baking with pure lard.

Lard has long been thought to be akin to the devil. Shortening was considered the pie making ingredient of choice.

Science has been taking another look at lard. It has been found that only about 1/4 of the total fat found in artery blockages is saturated fat, while 50% of the fat was polyunsaturated fat – a very different story than we have been led to believe for decades.

Pure lard contains 40% saturated fat (much less than butter) and 45% monounsaturated fat, the same fat that is in healthy olive oil. So lard recipes are not anywhere near as unhealthy as previously thought.

The authors of this homage to lard do recommend though that you find unadulterated lard from hog breeders, not the lard we usually see in the grocery stores. You can find artisanal lard by searching online.

This pot pie recipe is fabulous, with a delectable crust (lard does make the best crust going), and savory filling.

The crust benefits from the addition of healthy wheat germ, toasted for added flavor, some cornmeal, and a bit of sharp cheddar cheese.

The filling is made of beef chuck cubed into small pieces and is studded with tomatoes, corn and chilies.

The authors recommend that for garnish, you serve this savory pot pie recipe with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, and a bowl of salsa.

Fiesta Beef Pot Pie Recipe

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Crust:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup lard
5 to 7 tablespoons cold water

Filling:
1 tablespoon lard
1 pound lean boneless beef chuck, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
1 (8.5-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles with juices
1/2 cup water
1?3 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1?3 cup sliced black olives

Glaze:
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt

To prepare the crust, combine the flour, cornmeal, wheat germ, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the lard until just blended, forming pea-sized chunks. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and toss lightly with a fork until the dough comes together in a ball.

Divide the dough in half and place each half, cut side down, on a floured board. Flatten each half to form 5- to 6-inch rounds. Wrap one round in plastic and place in the refrigerator. Using a rolling pin, roll out the other round and fit into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

To prepare the filling, heat the lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef, then transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon. In the same skillet, add the green pepper and onion; sauté until it is just tender. Add the cooked beef, tomatoes, corn, green chiles, water, tomato paste, sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and crushed red pepper; stir well. Cover the pan and bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the olives. Set aside to cool and thicken slightly.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Roll out the remaining dough to a 10-inch round to form the top crust. Spoon the cooled filling into the prepared unbaked pie crust. Moisten the overhanging pastry edge with water. Place the top crust over the pie; press and flute the edges to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut 4 steam vents, evenly spaced, on the top crust.

To prepare the glaze, whisk together the egg and salt. Brush lightly over the crust. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

Serve immediately and let everyone enjoy this delicious beef pot pie recipe.

Serves 8

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Tags: beef pot pie, beef pot pie recipe, beef recipes, dinner pies, lard recipes, pot pie recipe, savory pies

The holidays are over and it’s back to “real” cooking with a fantastic bratwurst recipe.

This is one of our easy dinner recipes. You can find lots more on the main site here.

I love rustic home style meals during the winter months and this bratwurst recipe is perfect for a cool winter day.

It combines tasty sausage with potatoes (a perfect combination),  vegetables and “gravy”. The gravy is actually a can of soup. How easy is that?!

Of course we do want to eat healthy most of the time and this is not the most low fat recipe in the world.

But I think some nice warming comfort food is perfect once in a while and I love this kind of recipe.

It’s a lovely sausage casserole with vegetables right in it.

I love one pot meals. They are so easy to make and to clean up from.

You can add more vegetables to the recipe if you want. Instead of just carrots, use a carrot and peas mix or a mix of frozen vegetables with green beans and corn added.

You can also change up the kind of sausage you use. A mild Italian sausage or Enlgish sausages would work well in this sausage recipe too.

This is a great recipe for using up leftover potatoes. If you don’t have any potatoes leftover, you can cook them quickly and easily in the microwave. Just make sure you leave the skins on, puncture them several times with a knife and cover them lightly with a piece of paper towel.

The potatoes don’t have to be fully cooked as they will continue to cook a bit in the oven.

Campbell soup recipes are so easy and often really good.

Cheesy Sausage Casserole

6 bratwurst or Polish sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices (1 pound)
4 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and cubed
10 ounces frozen cut carrots, thawed
1 can reduced fat and reduce sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
Additional shredded cheese (optional)

Cook the bratwurst in a frying pan over medium heat. The Polish sausage, if you are using that, is already cooked. Slice the cooked sausage into 1/2″ slices.

In a large bowl stir together the bratwurst, potatoes, carrots, soup, cheese and the chopped onion.

Transfer the mixture to an ungreased 2 quart baking dish or other casserole.
If you like, you can add a bit more shredded cheese to the top of the casserole. Bake it, covered, at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until it is well heated throughout.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

If you like Campbell soup recipes, like this delicious bratwurst recipe, have a look at our easy beef stew, on the main site.

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Tags: bratwurst recipe, cambell soup recipes, casseroles, easy dinner recipes, meat recipes, sausage recipes