Category: Vegetables + Salads

These baked stuffed peppers were a good start to jerk chicken.

Ingredients:
2 small red bell peppers, halved lengthwise through stem, seeded
1 small box of cherry tomatoes, halved
crumbled feta cheese
10 leaves of basil
a handful of fresh thyme
pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400º. In a large bowl, toss tomatoes, feta, basil and thyme. Season with pepper.
2. Place bell peppers on a baking dish. Fill each with tomato and feta mixture. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an extra 15 minutes or until tomatoes burst and feta looks a little browned. Serve warm.

Related post/s:
Jerk Chicken

Ingredients:
16 oz. firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 orange bell pepper, julienned
2 stalks of scallions, sliced diagonally
a handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups of Chinese cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup peanut oil
2 tbsps sweet chili sauce
2 tbsps lime juice
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed, finely chopped
2 tbsps fresh ginger, grated1. Combine all vegetables in a bowl.
2. For the dressing, combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Whisk in half of the peanut oil and pour over vegetables. Toss to coat.
3. Heat remaining peanut oil in a frying pan. Cook the tofu until golden with a crispy edge, about 3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and set aside. When cool, add to the bowl of vegetables. Toss lightly.

Related post/s:
Cool Food at Amazon.com

Ingredients:
1 pound okra, rinsed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 egg
1/3 cup of milk
2 cups dry breadcrumbs
2 cups corn oil
a dash of red pepper flakes
salt, pepper, frying oil

1. In a bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Use another bowl for the bread crumbs. Toss half of the okra in the egg mixture until coated. Use a slotted spoon to pick up the okra pieces, letting excess liquid drip in the bowl. Transfer okra to the bowl with the breadcrumbs and toss until coated.
2. Heat a deep skillet. Add oil until hot. In medium heat, add red pepper and fry okra until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked okra with a slotted spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining okra.

I love how rich the green of this soup is. If your guest is adamant about eating soup with meat, brown some bacon and chop to smaller pieces. Add the bacon at the same time you garnish the soup with the asparagus tips.

Ingredients:
vegetable stock
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped, reserving the tips
1 leek, white parts only, chopped
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
half a bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
half a stick of butter
grated lemon peel
salt, pepper

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot. Sauté garlic and onions. Add leeks and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus stems, onion and parsley with salt and pepper. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then simmer until asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Purée mixture using a blender, in batches if necessary. Return soup to pot and thin with more stock if desired.
3. In a separate pot, boil some water and cook asparagus tips for about 2 minutes with some salt. Use as garnish for soup.

Related post/s:
Vegetable stock