Household Blog

From our new Purple House contributor, Damon:

As anyone who’s spent any amount of time at the Purple House knows, food is pretty important around here. My knowledge and passion for food has increased dramatically since being introduced to it. Not only does this serve as my first post to the PH Blog, but it is also my first post to any blog whatsoever. I’m honored to have the chance to cut my teeth on behalf of a home and its inhabitants whom I love so greatly.

As promised, here’s an old stuffed pepper recipe of mine that’s undergone some modifications since joining the Purple House. Most any of the ingredients can be substituted—meat can be added, grains or herbs substituted, different cheeses used, etc. This recipe is just a framework from a recently successful batch. Look around at what you have on hand and what’s in season and
experiment!

Stuffed Peppers

• 4 bell peppers
• 1/2 cup dry rice, soaked and/or sprouted, then cooked
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 8 oz feta
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• fresh herbs to taste: marjoram, thyme, rosemary, you choose
• salt
• parmesan

Prepare the sprouted rice first by cooking it while prepping the stuffing. Dice tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Add salt to taste. Coarsely chop about your fresh herbs—I used 1/4 cup fresh marjoram, 1/4 cup fresh thyme, a tablespoon of fresh rosemary. Crumble the feta cheese and add it and the herbs to the tomatoes. Toast sunflower seeds till golden brown and add to tomato mixture, combine, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Choose 4 peppers that stand upright nicely and have large bodies, wash them, and cut out their tops. Shake out the seeds and remove ribbing on the inside carefully with your fingers or a spoon.

Add the cooked rice to the tomato mixture and combine. Don’t be worried if the rice is still a bit hard—it will cook further in the oven. Use a spoon fill each pepper to overflowing and top it with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan. (Any extra stuffing goes great in omelets!)

Place peppers in the casserole dish and add 1/2 inch water to the bottom of the dish. Bake for about 1 hour or until the peppers are just barely starting to brown and wilt slightly. Consider a side of steamed greens and a piece of cheesecake for dessert. Dern tasty…

It may not be the prettiest dish in the world, but it is probably on my top ten list of favorite meals, and on the top five list for sheer nostalgia. I grew up eating Cajun’s Delight – apparently one of my dad’s patients gave him the recipe once upon a time. So hearty, warm, it satisfies all the tastes, and the textures, oh the textures! Crunchy, smooshy, gooey, firm… this is the definition of comfort food to me. And it’s pretty good for you, too. Shoot, when I was vegetarian I probably ate this at least twice a month. Now I’ve made a few alterations, improving in my opinion the taste and nutritional value. Got a picky vegetarian in the family? Give this baby a whirl…

Cajun’s Delight

• 1/3 c. dry lentils
• 1/3 c. dry lima beans
• 1 c. dry rice (I like a wild rice blend, like Lundberg’s)
• 3/4 c. celery, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 c. pecans
• 2 T. sesame seeds
• 1 t. sea salt
• 2 T. barbecue sauce (gluten-free)
• 3 T. oil
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 t. sriracha!! (I’m sorry, I just can’t say/type sriracha without shouting gleefully :)
• 6 to 8 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded

For the beans and lentils, I prefer them sprouted, in which case, start them the day before (a post on sprouting will be coming soon). If you’re not sprouting them, soak them for 2 to 8 hours before you start preparing dinner.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cook rice. Cook beans and lentils (it’s okay if the limas are still a little bit firm, it adds a nice texture). Drain if necessary and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients, but reserving about a third of the cheddar cheese to the side (for topping later). Mix well.

Pat mixture evenly into a 9-inch square casserole. Bake on center rack for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the top, then bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving, if you can stand it. I usually end up burning my mouth in my eagerness, so fair warning.

Serves 6 to 8. Enjoy!

Off the radar for a while, I know. I spent the warm season writing a weekly featured recipe for Agriberry CSA, a fabulous local all-fruit CSA organized by the irrepressible Ms. Anne Geyer. I’ll be posting the “best of” those recipes in the near future, but for today, a welcome to Fall—my favorite time of year. Let us eat well, digest what’s past, and prepare ourselves for the next.

Chunky Pumpkin & Kale Soup

• 1 pie pumpkin
• 1 large bunch kale
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
• Whole dried hot pepper (# depends on hotness of peppers – I used one medium-hot pepper b/c the curry paste will also add some spice)
• 2-4 T. finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 yellow peppers, chopped
• 1 c. dried white beans (cranberry, cannellini, etc.) soaked for a day ahead OR 1 can of same
• Fresh thyme – a lot
• 6 c. chicken broth (about 3 cans)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4-5 t. Thai red curry paste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Butter
• Scallions for garnish
• Zatar for garnish

If using dry beans, soak your beans for 12 – 24 hours ahead of time (I loved the big white cranberry beans in this, but I might try it with red lentils next time). Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer to soften right before preparing the soup. Drain before adding.

Preheat oven to 375. Cut your pie pumpkin (or other pumpkin variety or butternut squash) in half, scoop out the seeds, and rub all of interior with some butter. Place face down on cookie sheet and bake in oven until softened, about 30 – 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add 2 sprigs of time, chopped onion, shallots, garlic, a sprinkling of sea salt, and whole dried hot pepper. Saute until onions are softened. Add yellow pepper and ginger. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and Thai red curry paste,  then stir in the drained & rinsed beans. Mix well and return to a boil, adjusting heat to maintain a simmer. When pumpkin is softened, remove from oven and use a spoon to scoop chunks of flesh out – add to soup mixture.

Clean kale and chop coarsely – I like longer crinkly pieces so I just chop it once laterally. Add to soup but do not mix it in – cover the pot and allow the kale to steam and soften. Then stir the soup, add lemon juice and additional salt or curry paste to taste. Garnish with a sprinkling of zatar seasoning and chopped scallions. Dee-lish!

Here’s a new recipe I made the other night for a girl’s night supper, using leftover roast chicken, and lovely farmers market produce. I use garam masala, an Indian spice blend, but fully realize that many may not keep this stocked in their pantries. BUT. Allow me to say that I’ve found this spice extremely useful in pumpkin bread, curries, apple pies, oven roasted home fries, and much more. You might give it a shot, or you can use a blend of nutmeg, cardamom, coriander and the like. This dish is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate—be sure to eat it fresh to get the best texture and flavors.

Curried Peach Chicken Salad

1.5 – 2 c cooked chicken, pulled into bite-size pieces
1 large or 2 small ripe peaches or nectarines, peeled and chopped
1 long sweet pepper, julienned (I used green cuz it’s pretty)
2 t. fresh thyme or marjoram or basil
¼ c. plain yogurt or mayo
1 t. curry powder
1 t. garam masala

In bowl, combine peaches, chicken, peppers, and thyme – toss together. In separate small bowl or jar, combine yogurt/mayo, curry, and garam masala. Pour dressing over the chicken mixture and serve on top of fresh veggies, rice, or roll up in a leaf of lettuce or collards into a lovely GF burrito!