Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I've been feeling spicy lately. Daring really. I am feeling the itch to step outside my proverbial box and try new things, embark on new adventures. This bug that has bitten me extends into the kitchen as well of course. Would you expect anything less?

Quente. That's what my friends in Brazil would call this dish. And me. Literally translated it means hot, but like the American version of the word hot the slang use of it has a spicier meaning. Quente.

I love this dish because it's easy to prepare, it's a great filler on vegetarian nights, and it's quente. I simply combine some white quinoa, black beans, roasted corn, roasted red peppers, cilantro, jack cheese, and a spicy jalapeno then stuff this delectable mixture inside mild, smoky poblano peppers and bake them for 30 minutes at 375F.

Now for some spicy, delectable shake-ups outside of the kitchen. Bring it on!

click here for a printable recipe Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers Recipe by Colleen Fields A hearty, delicious vegetarian dish of smoky poblano peppers stuffed with fluffy quinoa, veggies and spicy jalapeno. Ingredients: 1 cup water 1/2 cup dry white quinoa, rinsed 1/2 cup reduced sodium black beans, rinsed 1/2 cup frozen roasted corn 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers 1/2 cup shredded jack cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 jalapeno pepper, minced pinch coarse sea salt 4 whole, raw poblano peppers Cooking Directions: Bring the water to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the water is gone. Remove from heat and let cool. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a mixing bowl, combine the black beans, corn, red peppers, cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and cooked quinoa. Take each poblano pepper and cut an elongated triangle along the length of the chile -- with the base of the triangle near the stem of the pepper -- to create an opening for your stuffing. Remove all of the seeds from the interior. Stuff the quinoa mixture into each of the peppers. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Nutrition Facts   4 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 206.9   Total Fat 5.7 g       Saturated Fat 2.5 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g   Cholesterol 12.5 mg   Sodium 268.5 mg   Potassium 132.7 mg   Total Carbohydrate 31.5 g       Dietary Fiber 3.9 g       Sugars 3.1 g   Protein 9.3 g

Grilled Sriracha Lime Shrimp with Fennel Citrus Salad

Summer has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest and that means the return of our friend the sun and balmy 80+ degree days. The natives have emerged from their hibernation and the streets are filled with happy pedestrians and bicyclists sporting shorts, shades, and smiles.

Last night, I happened to see a stream of bicyclists sporting nothing but smiles. The World Naked Bike Ride made an appearance in Portland yesterday. It was exhilirating to see all of these people, so comfortable in their nudity, whooping and hollering in joy as they streaked down the street.

I am not nearly secure enough with my body to attempt such a public event, so I prefer to celebrate the return of summer with some traditional grilling in the backyard, the company of good friends, and a nice glass (or two) of wine.

This meal is perfect for those nights. I can marinate the shrimp and prepare the salad in advance, then throw the shrimp on the grill once everyone arrives and dinner is ready in a matter of minutes.

I mostly love the flavor combination of these two dishes together. Like peanut butter and jelly or Lucy and Ethel, they just go together. The spicy Sriracha chili sauce and tart lime give a pleasant zing to the tender shrimp, offset by the contrasting sweet and tart of the crunchy salad.

click here for a printable recipe Grilled Sriracha Lime Shrimp Skewers Recipe by Colleen Fields Shrimp marinated in spicy Sriracha sauce and tart lime then grilled to tender perfection Yield: 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 tsp fish sauce juice of 2 limes 2 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed 1 tsp fresh ginger root, minced 2 large (or 4 small) kefir lime leaves, rib removed and leaf finely minced 1 lb. raw colossal shrimp (about 16 shrimp) Cooking Directions: Whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, Sriracha, ginger, garlic and kefir lime leaves. Pour over the shrimp in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag. Combine so that the shrimp are well covered. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to marinate. Thread the shrimp onto 4 skewers, 4 shrimp per skewer. Grill on a propane grill for 2-3 minutes each side or until the shrimp have pinked up and are cooked through. Serve immediately. Nutrition Facts   4 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 94.3   Total Fat 0.0 g       Saturated Fat 0.0 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g   Cholesterol 115.0 mg   Sodium 755.2 mg   Potassium 31.6 mg   Total Carbohydrate 3.5 g       Dietary Fiber 1.1 g       Sugars 1.8 g   Protein 18.2 g

click here for a printable recipe Fennel Citrus Salad Recipe by Colleen Fields Crunchy fennel combines with contrasting sweet and tart citrus flavors for a salad that is not only beautiful but out of this world delicious. Yield: 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 bulb of fresh fennel, thinly sliced 2 cups finely shredded green cabbage 1 cup finely shredded red cabbage 1 cup fresh jicama sticks 2 oranges 2 grapefruit 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp black sesame seeds Cooking Directions: Toss together the fennel, green cabbage, red cabbage and jicama. Use a knife to peel and segment the oranges and grapefruit. Set the remaining pulp aside for later use. Cut the segments in half and add to the fennel mixture. Take each pulp in your hand and, over a small mixing bowl, gently squeeze the juice into the bowl. You should end up with 1/4-1/3 cup juice in total. Whisk the olive oil and honey into the juice until well combined. Toss with the fennel mixture ensuring that all of the fruit and vegetables are evenly coated. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the salad and toss gently. Let the salad sit for about 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to combine. Nutrition Facts   4 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 200.5   Total Fat 8.1 g       Saturated Fat 1.0 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g       Monounsaturated Fat 5.0 g   Cholesterol 0.0 mg   Sodium 48.2 mg   Potassium 661.3 mg   Total Carbohydrate 32.7 g       Dietary Fiber 7.6 g       Sugars 22.4 g   Protein 3.3 g

Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Baguette

Refrigerator dishes are sometimes the best discoveries ever. What's a refrigerator dish? These are the meals created on those nights when I don't know what to make for dinner and I stand in front of the fridge looking at various items on the verge of spoiling. As the cold air slowly flows over me, my mind clicks through the various dinner possibilities until it reaches a satisfactory conclusion and I greedily fill my arms with my bounty and set to work. This is one such creation.

A couple of weeks ago, early on a Monday morning, I received an email letting me know that 2 of my recipes were selected for an article on healthy burgers by Girls Gone Sporty. Yippee! The downside is that they needed photos and my external hard drive, which houses all of memory sucking photos and videos, suddenly decided not to cooperate with my computer so I couldn't access anything on there. They wanted the photos right away so the only solution was to whip up both recipes and take some new photos. Which of course I did.

This left me with a nice chunk of leftover eggplant. Couple that with a handful of other vegetables and some leftover baguette in danger of going stale, and you have the makings of a great refrigerator dish. I should point out that the vegetables are the real star of the show and what I love is that they are so versatile. Instead of stuffing them into a baguette, sometimes I toss them with pasta or rice. I've even taken leftovers and scrambled them with eggs for breakfast. It also makes a great topping for flavorful bruschetta when I'm entertaining.

I cut the eggplant in small pieces, about 1/2" cubes. Then did the same with a baby zucchini, red onion and red bell pepper. I halved a bunch of cherry tomatoes and threw them into the mix for a splash of color and a burst of juicy sweetness. Then I tossed them in a simple combination of olive oil, red wine vinegar and coarse sea salt and roasted my pretty creation in the oven.

But I wasn't done! I had some fresh basil to use as well, so I chopped that up and tossed that with the roasted vegetables along with some salty parmesan cheese. Then I hollowed out a baguette, stuffed it with my creation, and baked it for another 10 minutes.

I think my first words on biting into this crunchy, caramelized masterpiece were "Holy shit! I need to write that down!" And that is how this recipe came into creation. Seriously.

click here for a printable recipe Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Baguette Recipe by Colleen Fields Fresh eggplant, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes are roasted to sweet, caramelized perfection and stuffed into a warm, crusty baguette for an easy, delicious vegetarian meal. Yield: 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 small eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1/2" cubes 1 baby zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 red onion, chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt 1 oz. fresh basil leaves, chopped 1 oz. shredded parmesan cheese 1 - 16 oz. whole wheat baguette Cooking Directions: Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a baking sheet with a little olive oil and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, pepper, tomatoes and onion. Toss with the olive oil, vinegar and salt until well combined. Spread the vegetable mixture on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through to ensure the vegetables are evenly roasted. Remove from the oven and set aside to let cool slightly. Create a "canoe" out of the baguette by cutting an opening down the length of the baguette and removing bread to create space for the stuffing. Using your fingers, pull out a total of 6 oz. of bread. Combine the roasted vegetables with the basil and parmesan then stuff into the hollowed out baguette. Bake for 10 more minutes until the bread is crusty and the cheese is melted. Cut into 4 equal sections and serve immediately. Nutrition Facts   4 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 325.7   Total Fat 10.7 g       Saturated Fat 2.3 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g       Monounsaturated Fat 5.7 g   Cholesterol 5.1 mg   Sodium 652.3 mg   Potassium 491.0 mg   Total Carbohydrate 49.6 g       Dietary Fiber 8.5 g       Sugars 6.0 g   Protein 12.6 g