Mother's Day Meal

“Every year the number of new cookbooks increases, but in spite of them the progress made in this most useful of the arts is not ever overpowering. On the contrary, we must regretfully admit that nowadays people no longer prepare the fine and nourishing dishes that our mothers used to make.” -Anna Dorn, Cookbook Author (1834)

First up...

Happy Mothers Day, Mom! I wouldn't be the man I am without you. I love you!

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OK, so anyhow. I am very proud and excited to say that New Chefs has gotten our first request! It reads as follows...

BlondiePicPic writes: You guys are so cute. Can you tackle a good veg-friendly recipie next? I have yet to master the art of cooking tofu properly. Teach me Chef Shawnay!

Well, I was perusing the produce aisle this evening and, perhaps it was because of Mothers Day, but I found myself remembering when my grandma (Nana) would make bell peppers stuffed with red rice. As I passed the red bell peppers, they screamed to me: "Stuff us! Stuff us!" Okay, that's weird. They didn't.

But I did decide to experiment with the stuffed bell pepper idea. I ended up stuffing the peppers with cous-cous and roasting it on the grill, but the recipe after the jump will work in an oven just fine. We ate them alongside grilled chicken (the delicious marinade recipe is here as well) and a salad with guacamole and tomatoes. Yummo!

So there you go, BlondiePicPic. Let us know what you think!

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Cous-Cous Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

• one box cous-cous (cooked)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (chopped)
• 2-3 tbsp onion (chopped)
• 1/2 c feta cheese
• 2 large red bell peppers
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook cous-cous according to box directions. (Sorry I haven't gotten a more from-scratch way of making cous-cous, but look for this box at the store.)
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, saute the oil, garlic, and onions for ~1 min. Add a pinch of salt and pepper here as desired.
3. Mix garlic, onions, and feta cheese into cous-cous.
4. Cut around top of bell pepper and remove. Cut away inner seeds and white parts of the vegetable. Rinsing with cold water in the sink is useful for getting all of the seeds away.
5. Stuff the peppers with the cous-cous mixture, making sure to push it in until the peppers are nice and full. Return the tops of the peppers to close them up.
6. Wipe the outside of the peppers lightly with olive oil. I'd suggest dabbing a paper towel with ~1 tbsp of olive oil so you don't get it all over your hands.
7. Wrap the peppers in tin foil and place on a cookie sheet in the oven. Cook for 40-50 mins or until the peppers are cooked through as desired.

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Honey Soy Marinade

Per 1-2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken:

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 c water
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 green onion, chopped*
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp white wine

Mix ingredients and place in a large, shallow bowl over chicken. Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate 1-6 hours before cooking.

*In case you've never been told (because Karl and I hadn't until recently), when a recipe calls for green onions, use the root end of the onions- not the greens! Don't worry...this is a common mistake!