5-Ingredient Stuffed Peppers

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Bell peppers are packed tight with juicy shredded salsa chicken and corn, topped with spicy jack cheese, and then baked in the oven for gluten free and low carb comfort food. Even better - this recipe has only five ingredients!

pep2 When my grandfather and Shirley came over for dinner last week, it was the first time I was hosting a dinner for them AND the first time that I was cooking a real meal for Nate since he returned. Let’s just say that stakes were HIGH. And everyone has their different requirements, right? For example, my grandfather is on a low-sodium diet. That meant my original idea of risotto was out the window. Nate eats a LOT but he enjoys healthy eating, so I knew there needed to be a good ratio of vegetables to proteins to whole grains to satisfy. And I wanted something that would be approved by myself and my mom, meaning something that we could eat a lot of and was full of flavor but still was easy on the waistline. So…a-HA! Stuffed peppers it is!

pep90 So stuffed peppers take some time. Each individual step is not difficult, but you kind of have to commit to making stuffed peppers earlier in the day. But they are made to impress - both visually and the way they taste. I decided to try my luck with a Mexican-inspired dish. First, chicken went in a crockpot with corn and salsa. It happily cooked all day until I could shred it into juicy pieces. About an hour and a half before you are ready to serve, start readying your peppers. Cut them in half and remove all insides. Maybe for a pro this doesn’t take that long, but for me it takes several cooking utensils!

pep9 Once the peppers are clean, blanch them in hot water for just a few minutes. That helps to tenderize the veggies and bake easier. Then, shred your chicken in your crockpot and start stuffing those peppers! You may think that your peppers are stuffed, but press down and you can likely fill in more. Pop in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Five minutes before you’re ready to serve, top with your cheese and turn on the broiler. That was a recommendation from Momma Dani California Cooks, and as always, she was spot on in the kitchen. You want your peppers to start to turn inward on themselves, and the broiler does veeeery nice things to that cheesey topping. Then, they are done!

pep04 I served these stuffed peppers with brown rice mixed with cilantro, garlic, and lime (totally inspired by Chipotle’s brown rice) as well as maple-roasted brussels sprouts. The brussels may seem out of place, but my grandfather had recently gone off a medication which for years he was forbidden to eat brussels sprouts so I needed to re-introduce him to one of my favorite vegetables! They are also one of Nate’s favorites, so a win-win all around. Homemade sangria on the side, and then Shirley supplied insanely good walnut brownies for dessert. I highly recommend a similar menu if you decide to give these peppers a try!

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On it’s own, the salsa chicken was delicious and I often make a big crockpot of that on Sunday night and eat throughout the week over salads, in lettuce cups, quesadillas, rice bowls, you name it.

Salsa Chicken Stuffed Peppers
 
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Bell peppers are packed tight with juicy shredded salsa chicken and corn, topped with spicy jack cheese, and then baked in the oven for gluten free and low carb comfort food.
Author:
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 6 large bell peppers
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1 jar fresh salsa
  • 1 can of corn, drained
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken, salsa, and corn in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or low for 4-6
  2. An hour and a half before serving, slice your peppers in half, lengthwise. Clean out all of the seeds and insides of each half
  3. In a boiling pot of water, blanche the peppers for about a minute each. Remove, pat the peppers dry, and place in a large baking dish
  4. Once the chicken is ready, it should shred easily at the poke of a fork. Shred the chicken and mix in the crockpot with all of the juices and the salsa
  5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
  6. Pack each pepper tightly with the shredded chicken
  7. Fill the baking dish with about a ½ inch of water
  8. Place the peppers in the oven
  9. After about 30 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the cheese over the peppers and turn on the broiler for 5 mintutes
  10. Remove when the cheese has melted and the peppers are turning inwards
  11. Serve and enjoy!
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Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree

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Textures abound in this easy but impressive baked cod dish. The parmesan and pistachio crust adds an amazing amount of flavor and the parsnip puree is winter produce at it’s finest! Keep date night light and healthy to avoid an un-romantic food coma….

fish1 So I went a little crazy at the farmers market with the winter produce. I was perusing the vegetables, and came across parsnips. They pretty much look like oversized carrots, but I couldn’t really imagine what they tasted like, so I asked the fellow yuppie next to me what the flavors were of parsnips. His response? “Parsnips”. Well. Thank YOU very much. I must have looked kind of taken aback because he then offered up the advice “they are a little bitter, so cut them with a bit of sweetness”. Ahhh, something helpful! And this recipe began forming in my mind. I had been dreaming of encrusting some white fish in a pistachio crust for a while and pairing it with some winter vegetable puree, and today was the day! This dish is warming, flavorful, light, and the mixture of textures is just to die for. Want to come over for dinner, so I can make it again? Better yet - how about you make it for your sweetheart, for a cozy Valentine’s Day in? Getting a reservation on V-day is a pain, anyways! Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree | danicaliforniacooks.com It’s not time intensive, and really easy to assemble and prepare. However, as they are essentially two different recipes to cook, I’ve organized the recipe below into a step-by-step process that allows one to cook while you prepare the other, and even recommendations for how you get almost 80% of this done ahead of time. That’s why this is a great date night dinner - you can get much of this together earlier that day/the day before and then just bake the fish and plate when your date arrives. More time for primping, no? Nothing worse than being a host and straightening your hair in the kitchen (I’ve been known to do that - yeah, it’s gross). So first, start with your parsnip puree. Sweat down onions and garlic in a little butter, then add the parsnips and apples (see? I cut the bitterness, Mr. Parsnip Attitude man) and add water. Let simmer while you attend to the fish. cod Crushing your pistachios into the crust mixture could be made a lot easier by using a food processor. However, that thing still intimidates me a bit and I was like “might as well take a meat pounder/ice cream scoop to it” and put my pistachios in a plastic bag and gave them a good beating. My poor dog thought the mailman was at the door for a solid 10 minutes. Then grate the parmesan, squeeze the lemon and pour your olive oil and your pistachio mixture is ready for the cod. Oh, how I love black cod! It’s like butter, and is super high in Omega-3’s like my other fav, salmon. It’s not cheap, however, so I do believe this recipe would go great with halibut, red snapper, or any other light white fish. Press the pistachio mixture across the top of your fish. A light layer will do! Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree | danicaliforniacooks.com While the fish is baking in the oven (about 10-15 minutes), pay attention to the parsnips again. They should be soft and fall apart at the touch of a fork. Take them off the heat, and take an immersion blender to the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour the entire mixture into a real blender. Blend until very smooth, and add lots of salt and pepper to taste. Then plate your puree, add the fish once cooked, garnish with lemons, and enjoy. And I promise you - you will enjoy. Maybe end the dinner with some chocolate - might I recommend some homemade dark chocolate bark or healthier thumbprint cookies? This dinner is light and fresh (even when combined with some of those dessert recommendations. It won’t make you want to slip into a food coma - probably the opposite of how you want to feel at the end of a romantic dinner.

Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree | danicaliforniacooks.com

Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree
 
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Celebrate the healthy flavors of winter by baking your cod with a parmesan pistachio crust and layering it on top of a wonderfully warming parsnip apple puree.
Author:
Serves: 2 servings
Ingredients
  • For the fish:
  • 1 lb wild caught black cod, cut into two pieces
  • ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
  • 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • For the puree:
  • 2 medium sized parsnips, roughly chopped
  • 1 small apple, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ½ white onion, diced
  • 1 gloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 cups water
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a medium sized pot, turn your burner on LOW and slowly sweat out your onions and garlic in the butter. I promise - this is a crucial step. It add so much flavor and honestly, two tablespoons of butter is nothing!
  2. After 5-7 minutes, add in your apple and parsnips. Let cook for a few minutes before adding in the water
  3. Put the cover on the pot and keep the mixture on medium
  4. Put your pistachios in a plastic bag and beat with a meat pounder OR put in a food processor until roughly chopped. Having different sizes of chopped up pistachios is nice for the texture
  5. In a small bowl, mix the pistachios, the parmesan cheese, the olive oil and the lemon juice
  6. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F
  7. Lay your cod on a baking sheet (grease the baking sheet before if necessary) and use your hands to place a small amount of the pistachio mixture over the top of each cod. Up to you how thick you want to make your layer!
  8. Pop your fish in the oven
  9. Check on your parsnip mixture - after cooking for about ten to fifteen minutes, it should be soft and fall apart at the touch of a fork. Turn off the heat
  10. Take out your immersion blender and blend the parsnips until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender and just transfer the mixture to it. Add salt and pepper to taste!
  11. Check on your fish after 10-15 minutes in the oven. It should be sizzling and opaque. 10 minutes is enough time for most cod fillets, unless yours is particularly thick
  12. Spoon out the parsnip puree onto a plate, and lay the cod on top. Be gentle!
  13. Serve with more lemon
  14. Sit down with your friends and family and enjoy!
Notes
You can make the puree and the pistachio mixture hours or days in advance. Only 20 minutes before you're ready to serve, arrange the pistachio parmesan crust on the cod and bake the fish while you reheat the puree. Then plate and enjoy!

Other white fish that would work really well with this dish are halibut and red snapper

The parsnip puree would also be an awesome non-mashed potato substitute at any holiday gathering!

Sunday Set Ups: Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds (+ meal planning!)

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On it’s own, this Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds is the perfect lunch or dinner - hot or cold - and holds up for the entire week. On top of it all, I will show you how you could use these four ingredients to supply any meal throughout your week!

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com Let me start out this post by saying that I’m very excited that I had this light and healthy meal for dinner tonight because I’m hoping to indulge a bit (AKA veg out) during the Superbowl! We are going to our family friend’s Eric’s place for the game (he has an 80 inch TV!) and he is an AMAZING cook. I also am planning on bringing a flatbread (recipe to come!). I heard on the Today show that the strategy for healthy game day snacking is eat raw vegetables up until halftime. After halftime, go crazy! Not sure if i’ll make it til the halftime game. Not sure if I want to even try and do that. If you’re still looking for some healthy Superbowl snack ideas, my Baked Sweet Potato Chips, Garlic White Bean Spread, and Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs would be my recommendations :).

I’ll be honest with y’all (after spending a year working in New Orleans, I can truly say that y’all is an incredibly useful word) I had been thinking about a recipe like this for a while. When I do grocery shopping on a weekend, I like to think about how I can maximize the use of the things I buy outside of one recipe. If you’re feeding a family or just yourself, it’s no fun for anything to go to waste. It also feels silly to buy a million different groceries that are all supposed to make up different recipes throughout the week. So how about if you buy simple, few ingredients that can be utilized across meals, across cuisines, and that you will definitely use all up? Let me do the thinking and planning for you, and introduce you to this dish!

This recipe (or more of an assembly of items) is great for lunch or dinner. It applies to any time of year, where you can roast up whatever is available and in season. It tastes great warm, room temp, or even chilled as a salad. It’s light and healthy, and is great on it’s own or as a side dish. It’s the perfect Sunday set up! However, the best thing about this recipe is that if you store the ingredients separately , the versatility becomes endless. Oh yes - I’m talking breakfast, lunch, and dinner from these items. Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com That’s why it’s the perfect Sunday set up - you can make large batches of the quinoa, vegetables, keep the pre-sliced almonds and the feta on-hand and you honestly subsist on this (plus a few additions, of course!) throughout the week. So what do I even mean by that? Well, have you ever tried quinoa for breakfast? Think of it like a complete protein version of oatmeal. Take your pre-cooked quinoa, sprinkle on some almonds, and then pour on some milk and eat it with fruit. Voila, breakfast accomplished! My mom didn’t know that quinoa is a complete protein (like a meat) so it’s a great way to start the day, just not something that is in the repertoire of most. Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com And how about these using these items differently for lunch or dinner? I am a huge fan of roasted vegetable sandwiches, either with cheese or hummus. How about turn on that toaster oven and stuff a whole wheat pita with roasted veg and feta? Let it toast until melted and crispy. Or make it quesadilla-style with a tortilla on the stove and add some salsa. Lunch is served! Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com And then there is the ultimate combination of everything all mixed together, plus some added EVOO and lemon juice. We gobbled this down for dinner and am looking forward to eating it as a side dish to meats/fishes all week, or having it stand on it’s own as lunch. Another idea is to layer a bowl with the quinoa, then the roasted veg, then your protein of choice and then use some of the almonds to make my homemade spicy almond butter sauce (easy to just grind up the sliced almonds in a blender/food processor if you don’t have almond butter on hand!) - and you’ve got yourself a little Asian-influenced rice bowl.

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com The opportunities are endless, and I hope this inspires you a bit to do a little meal planning on Sunday so you have plenty of options throughout the week for whatever meal you need.

Happy Superbowl Sunday! I’m rooting for the Seahawks, as my current work has me up working in Washington. I’m flying out there on Tuesday, and I’m sure everyone will be in great spirits if Seattle wins!

Sunday Set Ups: Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds (+5 meal ideas!)
 
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Mix roasted vegetables, quinoa, feta, and almonds for a perfectly proportioned salad to have all week.
Author:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 6-8 cups chopped seasonal vegetables of choice (I used beets, broccoli, and brussels sprouts)
  • ⅓ cup quinoa
  • ¼ cup feta (or more, depending on your cheese preference!)
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
  • Olive oil
  • Sprinkling of Herbs de Provence
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Juice of one lemon
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 F
  2. Toss your chopped vegetables in olive oil, sprinkle on a little herbs de provence, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet
  3. Pop in the oven for 45 minutes, or until carmelized and golden. Will depend on the size/type of your vegetables. I roasted my beets and brussels sprouts first, and then twenty minutes in added in my broccoli to the oven
  4. While the vegetables are roasting, cook your quinoa on the stovetop. For ⅓ cup quinoa, use 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer. Quinoa cooks pretty quickly, so check to see that the little curly-q's are sprouting from the seed!
  5. Remove quinoa from stove and let cool
  6. Once vegetables are done, toss with quinoa, feta, and slivered almonds
  7. When ready to serve, drizzle on some good extra virgin olive oil, more salt and pepper, and a squeeze of a lemon
Notes
My recommendation is to store the vegetables and quinoa separately, and mix together in this salad for when you are ready to eat it. That way, you can use the vegetables in other ways (like recommended above!) and the pre-made quinoa for other meals as well!

This salad will hold up for a week in your fridge.