Chef Meg Rocks with Banana Peppers!

Chef Meg's Cheesy Grilled Banana Peppers

Chef Meg finds a slightly more sophisticated version of the hot pepper poppers found on appetizer menus everywhere. Her version uses mild banana peppers, creamy Gouda cheese, a bit of bacon for a smoky richness, and tomatoes to offer a bit of freshness. She grills them to add another layer of flavor to the dish.

Serve these as an appetizer or unexpected side dish at your next barbecue!

Chef Meg uses panko, or Japanese breadcrumbs in this recipe. You can substitute whatever breadcrumbs you have on hand.

INGREDIENTS
4 banana peppers, fresh2 slices bacon1 red or yellow tomato, diced 3 oz smoked Gouda cheese, diced1 T parsley or cilantro, chopped1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the grill to medium heat. Wash and cut the stems off the peppers. Using a fork or vegetable peeler, scoop out the seeds. Cook bacon until brown but not crisp; drain and crumble. Combine all remaining ingredients and stuff them into the peppers. Wrap each pepper in a piece of aluminum foil, taking care to cover the tops tightly. Place foil packets on the grill so they stand upright, keeping the filling inside the peppers. Cook with grill lid closed for 10 minutes.

Number of Servings: 4


Nutritional Info
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 140.7
Total Fat: 7.8g
Total Carbs: 10.4g
Dietary Fiber: 2.2mg
Protein: 8.1g

Taco Soup

Taco Soup (Chef Meg's Makeover)


Chef Meg cut the sodium on this hearty soup by swapping taco seasoning for three spices you already have on hand. There's a secret ingredient (garbanzo beans) that helps add fiber and thicken our Taco Soup!

INGREDIENTS

16 oz lean ground beef1/2 C yellow onion, chopped1 recipe taco seasoning14 oz tomato sauce14 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies14 oz kidney beans, dark, drained1 C water1 C corn, frozen4 oz green chilies, chopped1/2 C garbanzo beans, smashed

DIRECTIONS

Brown ground beef and chopped onion over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Drain mixture and blot away excess grease. Add spices cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook additional minute while stirring. Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn, green chilies, and mashed garbanzo beans, simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, chips, cheese, or sour cream. (Calories not included.)
Number of Servings: 6



Nutritional Info

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342.1
Total Fat: 16.8g
Total Carbs: 29.5g
Dietary Fiber: 8.3mg
Protein: 20.4g

I love soups!

Sweet...

Chicken Oregano with Sweet Peppers

Serve this on top of a bed of brown rice.


INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs. chicken pieces, skin removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
cooking spray
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 lemon, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or one teaspoon dried)
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 medium, sweet green pepper, cut into strips
1 medium, sweet red pepper, cut into strips

DIRECTIONS

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Lightly coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray.

3. Cook chicken over medium heat until light brown (about 15 minutes), turning once. Reduce heat.

4. Sprinkle garlic, lemon, half of tomato, onion, parsley and oregano over chicken pieces in skillet.

5. Add wine and broth.

6. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

7. Add remaining tomato and sweet peppers, cover and continue to simmer for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Info
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109
Total Fat: 1.4g
Total Carbs: 14.7g
Dietary Fiber: 4.1mg
Protein: 10.5g
See Full Information

Wise indeed..

He who cures a disease may be the skillfullest, but he that prevents it is the safest physician~ Thomas Fuller, British clergyman and author
www.sparkspeople.com
Are you paying attention to your health?

If you want to be around to enjoy your growing family, it's never too late to start taking care of your body. Whether or not "skillfullest" is a word, Thomas knows the value of prevention versus treatment. You have a better chance of survival by using the doctor that keeps you out of the hospital in the first place. Why wait for symptoms to show up before you start paying attention? By then, it may be too late. Remember the major goals and the people that you're living for. Are you really willing to risk missing out because you didn't take precautions? You'd be amazed at how some basic, simple everyday nutrition and fitness choices and actions make a big difference in staying on your feet. Injuries and disease are a steep price to pay when many can easily be avoided.

Watermelon Blueberry Banana nana bo dana....

Watermelon Blueberry Banana Split...
www.sparkspeople.com

Ingredients

2 large bananas
8 "scoops" watermelong and/or cantaloupe
1 cup blueberries (or raspberries or strawberries)
1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup granola

Directions
1. Peel bananas and cut in half crosswise, then cut each piece in half lengthwise. For each serving, lay 2 banana pieces against the sides of a shallow dish. 2. To make watermelon "scoops" use an ice cream scoop to create balls of watermelon. Remove seeds, if needed. Place a watermelon "scoop" at each end of the dish. 3. Fill the center space with berries. 4. Stir yogurt until smooth, spoon over the watermelon "scoops". 5. Sprinkle with granola.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Info
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 220.7
Total Fat: 2.3 g
Cholesterol: 1.9 mg
Sodium: 90.6 mg
Total Carbs: 47.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.7 g
Protein: 5.3 g

Watermelon Gazpacho

I heard about this on Dr. Oz last week. www.droz.com I am defintiely trying this and what would be even better is when my own watermelon bear fruit.



Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients


Makes about 9 cups


5 cups cubed watermelon (one cup cubed small)
1 cup orange juice
1 small jalapeño, finely chopped (less or more, depending on your preference of ‘heat’ and the potency of the jalapeño)
3 tbsp cashew butter
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp lime zest
2 tsp agave nectar
¼ tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 small Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 cup diced English (seedless) cucumber
1 cup blueberries
1 yellow pepper diced
1 green pepper diced
2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup Greek (strained) yogurt

Directions
Puree the 4 cups of (larger cubed) watermelon, the orange juice, jalapeno, cashew butter, lime juice and zest and the Agave nectar until very smooth.

Stir in the remaining watermelon, the onion, cucumber, blueberries, yellow and green peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate covered for at least one hour.

To serve ladle soup into individual bowls, top each with a dollop of yogurt and enjoy.

Who would have thunk it?

Here I am with a garden growing veggies.


Who would have thunk it? Right now I have tomatoes, green peppers, eggplants growing... I am seeing the tops of my watermelons, cantaloupe, African Daisies & Echincea rearing up. I will be starting the Thai basil cucumbers, green beans, okra & artichokes before departure as to have something nice to come back to...

When I return I will get the berries going and a host of other things.

Who would have thought I would have an organic garden? I read today there are in many places over a half a million or more people without access to a supermarket to buy healthy food but that have instead a cornerstone of a convenience store, fried fast food, a liquor store instead. So it is not by accident that there is a correlation with obesity and other nutrition related issues.

Here in New Orleans the New Orleans Food & Farm Network has been going out aiding people to start growing their own food. They assist as in my case with start up container gardens with basic soil, mulch, help to start a compost, seeds and seedling + labor.


Then you take it from there as to what else you want to, er, bring to the table.

I had not had a veggie garden since I was a child although in the last couple of years I started back to planting flowers. Now I have expanded.. My hope is to take what I do not need & will be donating to a local food bank that aids young women with children & the homeless.


I am delighted that 5-28-10 I will be "Moon Walkin'" again on my weigh to Cali to attend the graduations of 2 of my grandchildren.


How much fun it will be to explore the countryside by my favorite form of travel (Amtrak-they need to hire me) , read a couple of good books meet more people and then to see my newest grandchild Miz Tassandra. It will be the 1st time that all my children AND my grandchildren will be in the same place at the same time.

Sounds like the time is ripe for new family photos.
Hopefully, I can have them transplanted before I go.


Don't tell me this sky is the limit when I KNOW there are footprints on the moon!

Go out & shake a tail feather (and all the jiggly parts)!:Ya, Ya Miz Nicey!

I do not have to be the chubby girl who stands in the back. I CAN be the nice thick grownup woman in the front shaking a tail feather" Nicey Nash, actor & comedianI do not have to be the chubby girl who stands in the back. I CAN be the nice thick grownup woman in the front shaking a tail feather" Nicey Nash, actor & comedian


Unlike Nicey Nash I was not a chubby girl. In fact I was weigh too skinny all the way up into a few years after marriage, but I am cheered & encourage of her embracing her "Jiggkly parts" & working her "thick girl" fattitude.

In no way was she ever say that be unhealthy, simply as she puts it to be healthy & accepting of where she's at.

May many of us embrace and not stand in the back..
Go out & shake a tail feather (and all the jiggly parts)!

Yay May!

http://www.noffn.org/

I am delighted to learn that this Thursday the New Orleans food & Farm Network will be bringing a host of volunteers in to plant. I will have container gardens chocked full of herbs veggie, fruit and floweras to boot.

I am delighted as it will be my 1st vegetable garden since I was a child although I have been growing flowers for the last few years. They have been providing immeasureable service to people as the city as been moving along toward being more green.

From their website:

"The New Orleans Food & Farm Network believes everyone should have access to fresh, healthy, and sustainably produced food for the long-term health of our environment, economy, and communities. We work with individuals, organizations, growers and communities to help make fresh, healthy food more accessible to everyone. We do this by:
Celebrating and supporting "what's right" in our local food system
Bringing people together to identify gaps in access to fresh foods
Creating, with our partners, neighborhood and city-wide food projects that fill those gaps for all members of the community
Find out more about how we work through:
Advocacy & Networking
Building Good Food Neighborhoods
Educating & Supporting Our Communities
"
We have mad community gardens all over the city with more popping up.

And I am delighted to be able to choose what veggies, herbs & fruit I want. I will tend to it which the side benefit with be movement, burn calories & food that taste like food.

I like their proactive weigh of ensuring that all have equal access to safe & healthy food.

Check out their website and if you are not here, perhaps you can create it in your own neighborhood.



http://www.noffn.org/
I plan to with my extra food to donate it to a local food bank.

"Each one reach one, teach one"

Claudette's Yummyy Cabbage Soup...

I cannot wasit to try...

From a Facebook buddy:

makes 6 servings

1 lb. ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
3.5 cups shredded cabbage
1 medium zuchini, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup corn (I love the roasted corn in freezer section of Trader Joe)
1 18 oz. carton sweet red pepper soup (V8 by Campbell)
1 32 oz. carton chicken broth
1 can - 10 oz. - diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 small jar of roasted sweet red peppers - drained, chunky chopped
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce (I add more because I love the FIRE)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

In large saucepan, cook ground turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add cabbage, zuchini, corn; cook and stir 8-10 minutes longer. Stir in soups, undrained tomatoes, roasted red peppers, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Presentation:
sprinkle each serving with 2 tsp. parmesan cheese if desired
Sprinkle a few large seasoned croutons on top if desired (they take the place of bread for me - others may want to have some delicious cornbread on the side).

UNBELIEVABLY TASTY - rich and hearty, relatively low calorie - each 1 cup serving contains 230 calories.