Stuft peppers

Ahhh my favorite veggies packed into one eatable package, peppers, zuccini, squash, small tomatoes. I don't really care for big peices of tomoatoes, not like I will be eating it like an apple like on iron chef america, lol! Peppers are a favroite addition to any meal honestly. They add such a rich flavor and can kick in some spice!

This was a sort of collaberation, my fiance helped me out with this one. She has ranted and raved about her stuffed peppers so I had to try them. I usually cook for her friday night when she comes in so she doesn't have to do anything. She makes a long trip to me so its the least I can do for her. We cook togather on saturday or sundays if I dont let her take over and she has to kick me out the kitchen lol.

So here is "our" stuft peppers! enjoy.

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1lb of ground turkey
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup of jasmine rice
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 2 medium yellow bell pepper
• 2 medium orange bell pepper
• 1 zuccini, 1yellow squash
• can of diced tomatoes
• Hot water, as needed

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Filling:
In a medium saucepan, combine water and rice, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pan reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes about 5 to 6 minutes.

In a medium saucepan add the ground turkey season and brown.

Put the rice in a large bowl and add the  zuccini, yellow squash, diced tomatoes, feta and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the ribs and seeds. If necessary, cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. Stuff the peppers with the filling and drizzle the tops with olive oil. Put the peppers in an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish. Fill the baking dish with 3/4-inch hot broth and bake until the filling is golden and the peppers are cooked through, about 55 to 60 minutes.

Remove the peppers from the oven and arrange on serving plates.

Hamburger steak... hmm hmmm. One of my favorite foods from when I lived at home. Its a very simple meal just ground meat into a burger patty and cooked and can be served with an endless imagination of sides. The classic is of course mashed potatoes, but I wanted to make a healthier version to this favorite of mine. What I did to cut a lot of the calories and fat was subsitute ground turkey for the meat and I made cauliflower smash with a gravy made from chicken broth reduction with onions, mushrooms. Its very tasty I must say I can live with cutting out and subsituting food for other alternatives, some people cant though. They just wont have their food subsituted.. They want it the old fashioned way.

Ingredients

Burger:

• 1 1/2 pounds freshly ground turkey (90 percent lean) - not all white meat
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cauliflower mash:

4 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 large head)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 table spoon of butter

2 teaspoon of garlic (minced, powder)

Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Gravy:

1 cup of chicken stock

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 tablespoon of oil

Directions

Burgers:
Preheat the grill to high. Form the meat into 4 (8-ounce) burgers. Season the burgers on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Cauliflower mash:
Steam the cauliflower in a steamer insert set over boiling water, covered, until it is very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the steamed cauliflower to a blender and puree with salt, pepper, butter, garlic.

Gravy:
add the oil to a shallow pan or pot add the onions, and mushrooms. sautee till they become a light golden brown 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and keep heat on till the sauce is reduced down and begins to thicken.

Plate items as desired and Sprinkle with parsley and serve.