PEPPERS

Roasted Veggies & Penne Bake

1 Pepper (red or purple)
1 Zucchini (small to med.)
1 Yellow Squash (small to med.)
1 Eggplant (small to med.)
1 Onion (yellow or red)
1/2 pint Cherry Tomatoes
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1/2 lb Penne
3 cups Marinara Sauce
3/4 cup Peas (frozen OK)
1 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons Bread Crumbs
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Butter - small pieces

Recipe_Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

Chop all vegetables into 1" cubes or strips, halve tomatoes

Toss vegetables with olive oil, italian seasoning, salt and pepper on baking sheet.

Roast vegetables 15 minutes or until tender

Cook pasta 6 minutes (package directions say 9, but pasta will continue cooking in oven)

Toss pasta, roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, peas and cheeses and place in greased baking dish

Top with breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan cheese and dot with butter

Bake at 450 for 20-30 minutes - until brown and bubbly

Cool slightly before serving

Notes: I use "spiral path size" veggies. I think any tomatoes would work
if diced to 1" cubes. Dry herbs are better than fresh in this case - fresh burn. It might be nice to add some fresh garlic and/or mushrooms to the roasting vegetables.

NANCY BUBEL'S ROASTED VEGGIES

3-4 bell peppers, chopped
2 whole heads garlic, peeled, each clove cut in several pieces
2-3 onions, sliced or diced fine
1 eggplant

Put peppers, onions, garlic in shallow 9 x 15 pan (or equivalent), pour 1/4-cup olive oil over and mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes then at 300 for 1/1/2-2 hours. At same time, roast eggplant in separate oiled pan. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise, put cut side down in oiled pan. Roast for 45-60 minutes till tender. Scoop out eggplant, mix with roasted pepper mix, add seasonings, like salt, pepper, and herbs. Nancy says, " I could live on this." Great with any meal or as a meal in pita, on whole-wheat bread, with cheese, even with baked potatoes. Use your imagination. The house has a wonderful aroma during roasting.


RED DEVIL SQUASH CREOLE
4 yellow squash sliced (can mix/match with zucchini)
3 T butter
2 medium onions, sliced into rounds
1 red bell pepper cut in strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
3 T brown sugar
3 T flour
1-quart tomatoes, chopped
Salt & pepper
1/4 lb sharp cheese, grated

Steam the summer squash. Melt butter in large skillet, add onions and pepper strips, sauté until wilted. Sprinkle brown sugar over mixture; add flour, stirring gently. Stir in tomatoes; simmer a few minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a casserole dish. Layer half the squash slices in dish, top with 1/2 the tomato mix. Repeat layers. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the grated cheese. Bake 30 minutes until cheese is browned.
Makes 5-6 servings.

Southwest Sweet Corn  

Husk and remove silk from 6-8 ears (or more) of fresh sweet corn. Then slice the raw corn off each cob with a sharp knife into a large pan. Melt ¼ C butter or olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the corn with ½ C minced green pepper and ½ C minced red pepper. Stir over high heat until the corn cooks, only about 5 minutes. Sprinkle on 1 T minced parsley or cilantro. Wonderfully delicious and beautiful colors and flavors.   

CARLOS SALSA

8 medium onions, diced
12 bulbs garlic, chopped
olive oil
6 dozen Roma tomatoes (scald, peel, dice, and let drain)
12 Hungarian hot wax peppers (seeded and chopped fine) 15 red chili peppers (seeded and sliced)
10 Jalapeno peppers (sliced crosswise with seeds)
15 multicolored sweet peppers, chopped
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1 C chopped cilantro leaves (optional)
2 T salt

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, and then add tomatoes and other ingredients. Bring all to a boil and simmer for 1hour, then pour into clean pint jars. Cap and seal jars and place them in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.

STUFFED PEPPERS

6-8  large peppers, red or green
4T oil
 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions chopped
4 C rice, cooked
4 C tomato sauce
1/2 t allspice
1C chopped tomatoes
2 C grated cheddar cheese
1/2 C almonds, chopped
2 T  oregano, chopped fine
ground beef or sausage -optional

Heat oil in large skillet and sauté onion and garlic. Add meat if desired. Add rice tomato sauce. Toast almonds in hot skillet a few minutes, tossing often. Stir in tomatoes, cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the rice mix. Remove the tops of peppers, clean out the inside. Steam bodies and tops for a few minutes, just until softened and still a bright green. Place rice mix in each pepper and place in a buttered casserole. Put the peppers tops back on. Surround the peppers with any extra rice mix. Bake covered for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

HOT PEPPER PREP TIPS:

Wear latex gloves, slice in half lengthwise, rinse with cold water to remove seeds. Keep seeds if you want the full heat treatment. Remove gloves and rinse hands with cold water and soap.

FRESH SOUTHWEST SALSA

1-1/2 C chopped tomatoes, 1 C chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed, 1/2 t salt, 1 t lime juice
1 T minced hot pepper ( make this measurement to taste)
1 T snipped fresh cilantro, 1 c small can black beans, 1 C corn   

Mix and enjoy as a dip with tortilla chips

Jed’s Rad Curry
Submitted by Craig Beam

1/4 C Olive Oil
4 Large Tomatoes - Diced
2 Large Onions - Diced
1 Bulb Fresh Garlic - Minced or Pressed
3 Large Potatoes - Diced
1 Zucchini - Diced
1 Squash - Diced
1 Green Pepper - Diced
2 Jalapeno Peppers - Chopped
1 Can Coconut Milk
3/4 Cup Sweet Asian Chili Sauce
4-6 Tbsp - Curry Powder
1 Shredded Chicken Breast (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

The beauty of Jed's Rad Curry is that there really isn't an exact recipe. It's a great "fridge cleaner". The tomatoes and onions allow you to make the "paste", after that you can really add whatever roots, greens, or veggies you have on hand.

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Add the tomatoes, onions, and garlic and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes or until it starts turning into a "paste". In a separate pan, boil the diced potato until tender. Add the zucchini, squash, and peppers to the "paste" and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Add the cooked potatoes, coconut milk, chili sauce, curry powder and shredded chicken. Mix well and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Serve over rice, or alone.

TOASTED QUINOA SALAD
Submitted by Mechanicsburg member Katharine Bennett

(I think this would be good with cooked rice or small
pasta if you don't want to mess with the quinoa I also would like to try adding cooked chicken for a one dish meal. I used cilantro - this is one I loved but my family didn't.)

3/4 c. uncooked quinoa
1 c. diced carrots
1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
1/4 c. minced parsley or cilantro
2 sliced green onions
juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime (or 1-2 T. of each)
1 1/2 T. tamari soy sauce
2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
1 tsp Tabasco (or pinch of cayenne)

Rinse quinoa and drain. Put in a pot and dry toast until a few grains begin to pop. Add 1 1/2 c. of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.

Mix carrot, red pepper, parsley and green onion in large bowl. Add cold quinoa and toss to combine. Whisk together lemon and lime juices, tamari, garlic and Tabasco. Pour over salad and combine well. Chill until serving time.

Try throwing in other fresh raw vegetables, like peas, corn, green beans, etc.

TERRA'S THREE BEAN CHILI
Can be made vegetarian or with meat, both are delicious.

Chop an entire celery (with leaves also)
1 C sliced /diced leeks (use some of the green stalk )
2 C sliced carrots
2 green pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced, use less if you want.
1 or 2 Hungarian hot wax peppers, remove seeds and dice
1-2 lbs ground beef optional)

Sauté beef with all vegetables and 1/4 C olive oil for about 15 minutes. Add 1 quart of tomatoes canned or fresh, 1 qt water, 4 veggie or beef bouillon cubes or stock instead of water. Add 1 can (2-1/2 lb ) red kidney beans, 1 can black beans and 1 can pinto beans. Of course you may precook these beans from scratch as I do when able. This is a time saver to use canned. Add 3 T chili powder, 1/2 t pepper and 2 t salt. Should be very thick; add more water if needed at this point, just to barely cover. Bring to a boil and then simmer one hour. This makes a large pot. I am a very busy woman and I figure if I am in the kitchen making something tasty, I make a lot and freeze in smaller batches or give away to friends/family. Do not add the hot wax peppers if you like it milder. Use jalapeno if you like it rippin hot.. All soups have a wonderful taste after aged/chilled for a day or two. .

BROILED BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Yvonne Milspaw
(supposed to be an Native American recipe)

1 large butternut squash, seeded, peeled, and cut into chunks
2 c. chicken or beef stock
1 onion, chopped
1 cubanelle or other hot or sweet pepper, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. butter
salt & pepper to taste (technically Native Americans would probably have used maple syrup for their seasoning…)

Brown onions, garlic, and pepper in butter. Add squash and broth and simmer covered about ½ hour, until squash is soft and liquid is nearly absorbed. Season to taste. Chopped scallions are also nice with this dish. Even better the next day.

CHILI SAUCE
Karena Kell

30 medium-ripe tomatoes (7½ lbs.)
2½ c. chopped onions
2½ c. sweet red peppers
1½ c. sugar
2 T. salt
4 c. vinegar
Bagged loosely in cheesecloth:
1 T. whole cloves
1 T. celery seed
3 T. allspice

Blanch tomatoes, cut into pieces, and add to remaining ingredients, including spice bag, in large kettle. Cook uncovered 2-2 1/2 hours, stirring frequently, until thick. Remove spice bag. Pour in canning jars and seal immediately. Yields 9 cups.