Stuffed Peppers, any way you like it!

This recipe is a combination of Mark Bittman's Corn-Stuffed Peppers & Basic Meat Loaf (oddly enough I've never used corn or meat in any of my pepper creations, but I'm sure they'd work lovely.) Both recipes, in their entirety, can be found in his book "How to Cook Everything"

2 pounds ground turkey or any ground beef (option 1)
1 - 2 Cups whole grains, cooked (rice works nice.)
1/4 Cup (or more!) freshly grated Parmesan or other cheese
2 Cloves garlic, crushed/minced
1 small-medium onion
1 - 3 carrots, shredded (I use a cheese grater)
1 Cup diced tomatoes (canned are fine, drain them first)
1/2 Cups diced mushrooms
Additional *veggies to taste
4 Red or Yellow Peppers, caps removed and centers hollowed out (you can save the tops if you're making the vegetarian option)
Fresh herbs to taste: sage, or cumin work nice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive oil

Option 1 (Turkey Lover's Dream):
If making with meat/turkey variety, preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Fill hollowed peppers (throw away caps). Place in roasting pan. Bake 45 - 60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pepper reads 160 degrees F.

Option 2 (Veggie Delight):
Follow same directions as option 1 but omit the meat/poultry, (sometimes I like to saute the veggies before packing them in the peppers, but it's not necessary) and adding extra whole grains/veggie. You can bake at 375 for 45 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.

Homemade chili sauce is divine on top of either variety.

Herbed Fall Vegetables

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 dice
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into1/2 inch dice
1 medium head of fennel, sliced and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, parsley, sage or thyme
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine potatoes, fennel, herbs and butter in the crockpot.
2. Whisk together broth, mustard, salt and pepper in small bowl. Pour mixture over vegetables.
3. Cook on low for 4 1/2 hrs. or on high for 3 hrs. until vegetables are tender, stirring
occasionally to ensure even cooking.

Note: I did not use fennel. I used vegetable broth and I only used about 1/4 of a cup of all the herbs combined.

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
14 1/2 oz. can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 can Campbell's Italian tomato soup (or 1 can Italian style tomatoes)
4 C chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. lemon pepper
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 can black beans
1 bag frozen corn
shredded chicken, cooked (optional)
toppings: guacamole, sour cream, tortilla strips, shredded cheese

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot except frozen corn and toppings. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Add corn last hour of cooking. Top with desired toppings.

Tomato Soup

In a large pan combine...

2 large cans tomatoes (whole or diced) or 8-10 fresh tomatoes

2 cups tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

14+ fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree in blender/food processor to desired consistency and return to pan.

Add...

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 teaspoons sugar

salt and pepper to taste

lemon juice to taste (optional)

Garnish with cheese, basil, and/or croutons.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Adopted from Mark Bittman's Basic Pancake recipe in "How to Cook Everything":

1 C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (from the bulk isle or Bob's Red Mill makes a good one)
1 C Whole Wheat flour
1 pinch kosher salt
2 T sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt (I used Nancy's Honey flavored)
An extra 1/2 C to 1 C milk (or more) depending on desire consistency

Mix everything together (easiest to beat the eggs first and then add them), reserving the milk until the end.

Cook on griddle or skillet as you would normal pancakes.