Easy Grilled Vegetables

I was invited to my Aunt and Uncle's for a family BBQ this weekend and was asked to bring a side dish.  I brought my Sesame Noodles and some beautiful summer vegetables to grill.  I love any vegetable that gets grilled because grilling adds so much flavor.  The eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and bell peppers were all purchased during my weekly visit to the Crystal City Farmers Market.  I brought the vegetables already sliced so they were ready to grill and easily done thanks to my Uncle.  

 

Easy Grilled Vegetables

Printable Recipes

Ingredients

1 eggplant

1 zucchini

2 yellow squash

1 onion

2 bell peppers

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Wash and dry vegetables.

For eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash, slice ends and cut lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices.

For onion, slice ends and cut into ¼ inch rings.

For peppers, cut into quarters and remove stem and seeds. 

Drizzle vegetables with olive oil to coat lightly.  Season with salt and pepper.

Grill vegetables over medium-high heat about 7 to 10 minutes.

Veggie and Beef Chili

I have a great vegetarian chili recipe but wanted to change it up since I was making a batch of chili for my friend who is expecting a baby this month.  Chili is such a versatile dish and its easy to adjust the flavors and ingredients.  This Veggie and Beef Chili is also a very freezer friendly dish.  I allow the chili to cool and place in a freezer bag.  When you are ready to have chili, just defrost in the fridge the night before and reheat the next day.  How simple and easy right?  This is great served on its own, over rice, or with corn bread.  I also love "chili mac", pasta with chili on top, yum!  This Veggie and Beef Chili is one of those dishes that stick to your ribs and won't leave you feeling hungry afterwards.  Enjoy!

Veggie and Beef Chili

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

½ pound ground beef

2 bell peppers, diced

1 onion, diced

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

11 ounce can Mexicorn

15 ounce can hominy

15.5 ounce can black beans

2 tablespoons  and ½ teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon and ½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

In a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add ground beef.  Add in ½ teaspoons cumin, chili powder and garlic powder.  Cook for about 5 minutes until meat is mostly cooked.  Drain fat.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, add in vegetable oil, diced bell peppers and onion.  Cook for about 5 minutes until softened.

Add in diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes to vegetables.

Drain and add in black beans, hominy, and mexicorn. 

Add in ground beef.  Stir in remaining chili powder and cumin.

Cover and cook over medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes.

Serve immediately.  Top with shredded cheese and/or sour cream (or plain greek yogurt).

You can also freeze this after chili is cooled in freezer bags.

Serves 6 to 8.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

My friend Wendy came over for dinner and we made these vegetarian stuffed peppers together.  I was able to use ingredients I had already and it turned out well.  This is a nice change from the usual stuffed peppers with ground beef.   You could also make this vegetarian meal vegan by omitting the cheese.   I think next time I will add a little tomato paste, maybe a tablespoon or two to give it a bolder flavor.  I know traditional stuffed peppers usually have a tomato sauce.  Overall this is a winner and I would gladly make it again.   I served a simple salad to go along with the stuffed peppers too.  Just toss some salad greens, a diced avocado, and a sliced cucumber together with fat-free Italian dressing.  I'm happy I was able to serve Wendy a healthy dinner!

 

 

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

4 bell peppers

2 cups rice

15 ounce can black beans

11 ounce can Mexicorn (by Green Giant)

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.   

Cut peppers in half.  Remove tops and seeds. 

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil.  Arrange halved peppers in the baking dish.

 

In a large bowl, mix together rice, black beans, corn, cheese, cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper.

 

Spoon filling into each pepper half.  Top with additional cheese if desired.

Bake 30 minutes.

 

Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

Stir Fry Sesame Beef Noodles

I am addicted to these sesame noodles and adding steak and bell peppers gives it a little something extra.  This tasted amazing and was simple to make.  I love getting to use my wok since I don't use it often enough.  Stir fries are quick and easy but the key is to prep first.  I already had pre-sliced bell peppers to dip with homemade hummus.  The leftover stir fry sesame beef noodles also tasted great!  Enjoy!

Stir Fry Sesame Beef Noodles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

½ pound beef sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick

½ pound linguine pasta

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup red and/or green bell peppers, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place steak in freezer.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil and ½ the sliced green onions. 

Cut the cold steak across the grain into thin slices.  Toss with sesame sauce.

In a wok (or large skillet) on medium-high heat, add in ½ the sesame sauce with beef and bell peppers.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to stir while cooking. 

Add in linguine pasta and stir in remaining sesame sauce.  Cook for 1 minute. Top with remaining green onions.  

Serves 2 to 4.

Breakfast Burritos

On a weekday morning, I am usually rushing to get out the door and I never have time to eat breakfast at home.  I already try to pack my lunch (if I have dinner leftovers) and I usually bring my coffee to work in my travel mug or I might stop at Starbucks if I don't have time to make it.  The Starbucks is so convenient at work and I try not to go too often but I do have a "gold" card there with my name on it :P  However, I am usually hungry in the mornings when I get to my office, so I might eat a granola bar or sometimes if I remember to pack some cereal.  But those are not a filling breakfast, and I wanted something easy and simple too.  These breakfast burritos are filling and its easy to make a big batch of these!  After I made them, I let them cool and wrap each one in foil.  I put them in a plastic freezer bag and now I can just take one to work and reheat in the  microwave whenever I want. 

Ingredients

1 onion, diced

3 bell peppers, diced

3 potatoes, shredded (You can use premade shredded potatoes or shred your own like me.)

8 eggs

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon parsley, dried (You may use fresh.)

1 pound bacon, cooked and diced (I just cooked the bacon in the microwave.)

large flour tortillas (burrito sized)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mixture of mexican and mozzarella/provolone.)

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons oil (I used vegetable oil.)

Directions

Heat a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons oil.  Add in diced onion and bell peppers.  Cook until soft for a few minutes. 

 

Next, add in shredded potatoes.  You may need to add in an additional tablespoon of oil if it starts getting dry.  Cook until browned.

 

In a bowl, beat the 8 eggs and add milk, also add in salt and pepper to taste.

Pour in the beaten egg mixture to the skillet with the onions, peppers and potatoes.  

Stir until eggs are set and cooked.  Add in diced bacon and stir into egg mixture.

Meanwhile, warm tortillas according to package directions.

Spoon egg mixture down center of tortillas.  Sprinkle with cheese.   Fold tortilla into a burrito.

 Enjoy!  I was able to make 9 burritos ... you could make more if you want to use smaller tortillas.