CHOPPED! The Anatomy of an Impromptu Dinner

When the odds and ends of a week or more's cooking and eating endeavors are crowding out your refrigerator or pantry, the urge is to clean house, toss 'em and start over. What a waste, but no one likes wilted veggies, blue furry coated things or unpleasant smelling foods in their fridge! I have a suggestion. Once a week, play a game…

Pretend you're on CHOPPED!

That tablespoon of chopped parsley, that quarter cup of tomatoes, the handful of nuts, the half pepper, the rind end of some cheese and those tortilla chip crumbs in the bottom of the bag could actually wind up making a gourmet dish! And after a little combining and chopping, you will feel as accomplished and proud as the chefs who do NOT get chopped on Chopped!

This is especially useful when  you are "Sola" or maybe 2 people.

The other night, I had 2 organic Poblano Peppers that were going to shrivel and wilt if I did not use them. It was still too warm to be thinking chili or a stew, so stuffing them seemed like a good option. Of course, I had a lot of rice in the cupboard, but there was also this half cup of sprouted quinoa at the bottom of it's bag..hmm..a new idea started to form.

I checked the freezer and yes, I had a pound of grass fed ground beef, but that was way too much for those small peppers, but, lo and behold, I found a little ball of the same beef, I had stashed away for making a burger whenever the urge arose, perfect.

I also had a couple of fresh chorizo sausages in the freezer, so I cut a pinch off of one (no one will ever know!) and added it to the beef….the dish was coming together.

Odds and ends for a gourmet treat

Here's what I found in the fridge, once the idea to use the peppers took hold:
A couple of small sweet peppers left from an hors d'oeuvre I had prepared for a group. Thought they would make a nice counter point to the more robust heat of the poblanos.

There was 1/2 a jalapeño, part of a lime left from some crab salad I had made earlier in the week and 1/2 onion and a bit of cilantro also from the crab salad fixings. 

When I run out of fresh garlic, it is an emergency, so I usually have it on hand.  There was no need to call 911. There was also a dab of tomato sauce and a pinch of Asiago cheese left from a pizza making session… sometime ago…

Cooked, Organic Sprouted Quinoa

Quinoa Stuffed Poblanos and Yellow Sweet Peppers

You can guess the rest. It was delicious and I decided to keep and share the recipe.

I'd love to hear what you come up with when searching your fridge and pantry! Comment here or write to me at cornucopia43@gmail.com and let's see if we can start our own version of Chopped…well, there is no $10,000 prize at the end, but a good meal is worth a lot!

Sola

QUINOA STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS

• 2 Poblano Peppers
• 1 Mini Sweet Yellow or Red Pepper
• 1/2 cup Sprouted Quinoa (plain or tricolored)
• 1/2 minced jalapeño
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 pound grass fed ground beef
• 1/4 cup chorizo
• dried chili or taco seasonings 
• olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons grated cheese of choice
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce

• • Preheat oven to 375
    
    Cut peppers in half and seed.  Cook the quinoa in 1 cup water or broth 20 minutes.
    In a skillet sauté the onion and garlic with some olive oil, ground beef and chorizo. Add about 1-2 teaspoons chili or taco seasonings. I used chili powder, cumin and oregano.
    Mix with cooked quinoa. Add lime juice and cilantro. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add salt and pepper if desired.
    Add 1 tablespoon cheese.
    Pour tomato sauce diluted with a little water n bottom of baking dish. Stuff peppers with quinoa/beef mixture. Top with remaining cheese and drizzle some of the tomato sauce over all. Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes until peppers are tender.
    Uncover and bake another 10 minutes. Add more water, broth or wine to sauce if necessary.
    
    
    The measurements are approximate. This was "cleaning out the fridge" after all.