Vegetable Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

 

A long time ago I went to college with a guy named Jeff. We were friendly and I think he might have worked with me on the school newspaper for a while. At some point, we lost touch and then a couple of years later we reconnected for a short time. I don't remember a whole lot about how long we were friends for or why we stopped hanging out. What I do remember is that one time I went to his apartment and he made me stir fry and it was amazing.

That's the weird thing about food. It's such a tie to memory and people. I remember so well Jeff pottering around his tiny kitchen in Atlanta making this dish, splashing in a bit of this and a bit of that. It was the first time I'd ever seen anyone cook with rice wine vinegar. The first time I think I saw anyone cook with snow peas. It was a really delicious meal, the sauce accents the flavor of the peppers really well and the vinegar makes it bright and tangy. The peppers have just a little extra crunch, the mushrooms are sumptuous and rich, and the snow peas are bright, green and fresh.

I made this stir fry a lot more often when I was vegetarian. I still default back to it though, when I'm craving something warm and fresh and tangy. Normally I would make my own peanut sauce, but I've found that store bought is really really good in this dish and has the perfect balance. You can find it in the Asian section in the grocery store.

Vegetable Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips

1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips

6 White Mushrooms, sliced

1/4 Cup of Snow Peas

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

3 Tablespoons Peanut Sauce

Warm up the olive oil in a large frying pan or a wok if you have one. Make sure it gets nice and hot, then add the peppers. Add half the rice wine vinegar and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir around until the peppers are starting to get a little bit of color on them. You want them to stay a bit crispy. Add the snow peas and the rest of the rice wine vinegar and saute two more minutes. Add the peanut sauce and stir until warmed through.

Serve with rice and build a memory with an old friend. 

Makes 2 servings.

Sausage and Pepper Cornmeal Breakfast Muffins

Yesterday was the first normal day I feel like I've had in a while. I got up, went for a run, played in my kitchen, went to work. Just like the 3-2-1 punch of the last couple of months never was. It was nice, but it was also strange and conjured up lots of emotionally feelingy type things. I'm working through those.

I'm also working through what I made in the kitchen. I've had these in my brain for a while and am very happy with how they turned out. I've had sausage in the freezer for a while and I wanted to repurpose it into something else that I could keep in the freezer and then defrost overnight and eat in the morning. I'm still mostly working on pantry-busting but it certainly got put on hold for the last month or two.

So, these muffins were born. They taste really great and have an interesting texture. The buttermilk makes them incredibly moist. They are hearty and filling and very easy to grab and go. They would be great for brunch with some scrambled eggs and orange juice.

Sausage and Pepper Cornmeal Breakfast Muffins

8oz Sausage
1 Green Pepper
3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
3/4 Cup Grated Cheddar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk (I used Lowfat)

Preheat your oven to 350F. Cook the sausage and drain off as much of the grease as you can. Dice the pepper and add it in to the sausage and cook for another three minutes or so until the peppers start to soften. Set aside.

Sift the flour in a bowl and add in the cornmeal, baking powder, cheddar and salt. Add in the egg and buttermilk and stir until combined. Add in the sausage and pepper mix.

Either line a 12 space muffin pan with cupcake liners, or grease each individual space. Fill each cup with batter. It should make every cup pretty full and even.

Bake for 20 minutes until set all the way and just starting to brown a little. If you want, you can also grate more cheese on the top of the muffins.

Eat while figuring out the rest of your day and listening to Imagine Dragons.

These freeze really well.

Makes 12.

Pepper and Corn Summer Salad

I didn't mention it, but a few days ago this little baby blog of mine turned a year old. I think it's getting close to the realm of toddler now. I've been really lucky over the last little while because it seems I'm getting more and more visitors. Hi visitors! Thanks for coming by! Salted Spoon seems to be climbing up the Google charts a little, because lots of people seem to get here by searching for different foods and recipes.

I always find it interesting taking a peek at how people find this blog. It's always fun to see the search phrases that have been put in to get here. I think the most interesting one this week was "where to get cramble up sausage for pizza", which I hope led them to my Sausage and Pepper Breakfast Tortilla Pizza.

But it's interesting, too, to see what other people are really seeking. I get a lot of visitors looking for "cabbage as a snack". I really really like keeping cabbage on hand. I frequently make it as a midnight snack, and I think that my recipe for Charred Cabbage is what is being found.

So I challenged myself to dig through the fridge and pantry and come up with a new cabbage recipe. What I came up with was a fresh, simple and summery pepper and corn salad that uses cabbage as a wrapper. The end result was really yummy and, honestly, I'm pretty happy that I get to put this into my repertoire now.

So, for all you cabbage snack lovers out there, this one is for you.

Pepper and Corn Summer Salad

1 Cup Corn
1/2 Yellow Pepper, diced
1/2 Red Pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Green Herb (Parsley, Basil, Dill), minced
Pepper
4 Cabbage Leaves

In a large bowl, mix the peppers, corn, vinegar, oil and herbs together. I tend to have parsley available most often, but I think basil is your best choice here. Mix together and then grind over a generous amount of pepper. Mix again and taste, then adjust the seasonings.

Take four clean cabbage leaves and where the stem is thick at the bottom, cut it out in a little triangle. Divide the peppers and corn mixture between the cabbage leaves, then roll up into little wraps.

Eat over a plate to catch the drips, muttering to yourself about the deliciousness of summer while you make a delightful mess.

Serves 2.

Healthy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

A long time ago, back in Atlanta, I made a boy I liked Stuffed Peppers. I had no idea when he and I started dating that I'd end up falling for him completely, and that in a few short months we would be living together. I had absolutely no clue that three years later, we would be deeply into the best relationship of my life. 

Please excuse the sappy. I'll stop now. 

Back when I was vegetarian, stuffed peppers was a huge go to for me. I used to stuff them with mushroom risotto. For the last six months, I've been watching what I eat and following a rigorous exercise plan. I'm not going to lie, it's been really really frickin hard. Writing a food blog and loving food as much as I do has made the whole thing so much more challenging. 

Last fall, I could barely run a quarter of a mile. I wouldn't be able to put a treadmill over 5.5mph. Going up a flight of stairs made my heart pound. 

Since then, I've cut my portion sizes, eaten healthier, and I exercise in some form or fashion several times a week. It started with walking to the grocery store that was half a mile away, then the one that was 1.3 miles, then the one that was 1.8, then the pet store that was 2.3. Soon I was running instead of walking. 

I've lost 20lb. I can now run comfortably at a 7.2, and I can run a 5k without stopping. I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn since college, and I think there might be a few abs under my shirt. I'm happier and I have so much more energy than I used to. 

All this is huge for me. I just wanted to share. Oh, and instead of stuffing my peppers with mushroom risotto, I put Quinoa in them now. You should try that too. It's yummy.

Healthy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

1/2 Cup Uncooked Quinoa

1 Cup Vegetable Stock

1/2 Cup Carrots

1/2 Cup Peas

2 Tablespoons Marsala Wine

2 Green Bell Peppers

In a small saucepan, cook the quinoa in the vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes until it is just cooked. Peel and dice the carrots and cut the tops off the bell peppers, slicing about half an inch down so the top comes off cleanly. Pull out all the seeds. 

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a bowl, mix together the quinoa, carrots, peas (it's fine if they are still frozen) and two tablespoons of marsala wine if you have it. You can also use a standard red, or omit it entirely, but it's best with the marsala. Stuff the green peppers with the filling, replace the top of the pepper, and wrap the whole thing in aluminium foil. 

Yes, I spelled that with the extra I. I'm English and proud.

Set the peppers on a baking pan and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. The peppers will have cooked and all the flavors will have muddled together in a delightful manner. 

If you want to make this a touch less healthy, top it with creamy mushroom gravy (click here for the recipe).

Makes two servings.

Other recipes you might like:

Zucchini Pancakes