Recipe: Easy Ragu Stuffed Peppers
It’s nearly fall and we’re all looking for warm, simple, and filling meals. Here’s an easy recipe for Ragu Stuffed Peppers from The Food Channel that can also be great to be in a tailgating potluck!
Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers (red, yellow or a mix), halved lengthwise with seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- About 3 cups Ragu sauce (or equivalent)
- 1/2 cup couscous
- 3/4 cup golden raisins
- 3/4 cup grated asiago or fontina cheese
- 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450*F. Toss the bell pepper halves with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large microwave-safe bowl.
- Cover bowl and microwave them until the peppers soften, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Mix the Ragu (or other sauce), couscous, raisins, 1/2 cup cheese, 3 teaspoons vinegar, the parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
- Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon vinegar, the tomato paste and 3/4 cup water in the bottom of a large nonreactive baking dish.
- Carefully move the peppers, cut-side up, to the baking dish & fill with the couscous mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot, or about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the stuffed peppers to plates and drizzle with the cooking liquid from the dish.
Recipe: Homemade Taco Bell Mexican Pizzas
Skip the drive-thru the next time you have a Taco Bell craving! Make this amazing copycat Homemade Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe at home with ingredients you actually know and can pronounce. Thanks to Kate at Stolen Moments Cooking for the recipe!
Ingredients:
- 8 flour tortillas, soft taco sized
- Oil for frying
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 2 t. chili powder
- 2 t. cumin
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. garlic powder
- 1 can or 1 1/2 c. homemade refried beans
- 1/3 c. taco sauce
- 2 c. shredded cheese
- 1/4 c. diced tomato
- 1/4 c. sliced green onions
Directions:
1. In a small skillet, heat 1/2 inch oil over medium heat. Add the tortillas one at a time and cook about 20 – 30 seconds per side, until lightly browned and crispy. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, cook ground beef. Drain. Stir in seasonings. Add 1/4 c. water, bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and add refried beans to pan. Cook over low heat until warmed.
3. Take 4 crisped tortillas and spread with the refried beans on each. Add the ground beef and evenly spread over each tortilla. Top each with a second tortilla. Spoon an even amount of taco sauce over the tortillas and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Or place under a broiler just until the cheese melts.
4. Sprinkle each with diced tomatoes and green onions. Cut into quarters before serving, and that’s it!
Recipe: French Toast Roll Ups
Change up your weekend breakfast and surprise the family with these yummy French Toast Roll Ups! The Girl Who Ate Everything has step-by-step picture directions of the recipe if you want to check it out.
Ingredients:
- slices of white sandwich bread;
- rolling pin
- some softened cream cheese
- cut up strawberries
- Nutella
- eggs (for making the french toast, so number will vary)
- 3 Tbls milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 heaping teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- butter (to grease the pan)
Directions:
- Cut the crust from each slice of bread and flatten it out with a rolling pin.
- Place about 1-2 teaspoons of your chosen filling 1 inch from one end of the bread in a strip. Roll the bread up tightly and repeat with the remaining pieces of bread. I really like cream cheese with diced strawberries as one combination and Nutella with diced strawberries as another combination.
- In a shallow bowl whisk the eggs and milk until well combined.
- In a separate shallow bowl mix the sugar with the cinnamon.
- Heat a skillet set over medium heat and melt a tablespoon of butter.
- Dip each bread roll in the egg mixture coating well and then place them in the pan seam side down. Cook in batches until golden brown, turning them to cook and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add butter to the pan as needed.
- Add cooked rolls immediately from the pan to the cinnamon sugar and roll until completely covered in sugar. You can serve with syrup for dipping but I think they’re perfectly good all by themselves.
Recipe: Copycat Cheesecake Factory Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos
This recipe is an almost exact copycat of the Cheesecake Factory Skinnylicious Mediterranean Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos – Only 250 calories in 3 “tacos” and so delicious! You can add or take out ingredients you don’t care for to make it your own!
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4-in long, 1-in thick strips
- 2 teaspoons Mediterranean Spice
- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 4 romaine lettuce leaves, shredded
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced red onion
- 1/4 cup Red-Wine Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup Tzatziki
- 12 butter lettuce leaves
- 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 1/2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 12 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions:
- Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon Mediterranean spice and place on grill. Cook, basting with balsamic vinaigrette and turning once, until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
- Season chicken with remaining teaspoon Mediterranean spice and remove from grill; set aside.
- Place shredded romaine lettuce and red onions in a medium bowl; drizzle with red-wine vinaigrette and toss to combine.
- Divide mixture evenly among butter lettuce leaves and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon tzatziki.
- Top each taco with 1 piece of chicken and garnish with chopped tomatoes, feta cheese, and olives. Season with parsley, basil, and oregano; serve.
Recipe: Rachael Ray’s Whiskey BBQ Sauce
This recipe is originally from Rachel Ray to be made with her Whiskey BBQ Brisket Sandwiches. It was slightly altered by the blog, Recapo, to make it a little simpler and taste just a bit better.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of good quality organic ketchup
- 1/2 cup of tomato passata or purée
- 1/2 cup of beef stock
- 3 shots of bourbon whiskey
- 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of celery seed
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder or hot paprika
- 1 rib of minced celery with leafy tops
- 1/4 cup of grated onion
- 2 large of grated and finely chopped cloves garlic
Directions:
Combine the sauce ingredients in a small pot and reduce over a low bubble for about 30 minutes.