Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

I grabbed this recipe from a cool low-carb blog called Peace, Love, and Low Carb.  I wasn't even paying attention to the fact that it was low-carb until I went to the blog!  That was just an added bonus.  For this pasta lover to find a recipe that is mouth-watering and delicious but isn't loaded with belly-bloating carbs is a good thing. 

I feel like I've gotten good at sauteing onions and mushrooms.  It seems like most of the things I've made lately involved one or the other.  This one involves both.  And the fact that onions and mushrooms are so healthy for you is a plus.

I think one thing I'll do next time is just gut the peppers and keep them whole.  I ended up eating two halves anyway. 

Philly Cheese-steak Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
8 oz. thinly sliced roast beef, or the Steak-Ums Philly cheese-steak meat if it's available in your grocery section
12 slices provolone cheese
2 large green bell peppers
1 medium sweet onion
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, saute the onions and mushrooms over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, to get them nice and soft and caramelized.  Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the dish by preheating the oven to 400 degrees (about 15 minutes before your onions and mushrooms are done).  Grease your casserole dish of choice (I discovered mine wasn't quite big enough after I had already sprayed it).  Halve the peppers (or leave them whole if you like ) and gut them.  Add the meat and garlic to the onions and mushrooms and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Lay two slices of provolone cheese on the bottom of each pepper half, four if you are using whole peppers.  Listen, I know this seems like a lot of cheese, so you are more than welcome to use half the amount if you'd like.  I just prefer cheese comas.  Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture.  Use all of the mixture, even if it's overflowing.  Philly cheese-steaks are supposed to be messy, not pretty.  top with the remaining cheese, 1 slice on each half, or two slices if you're using whole peppers (or less if you want less).  Bake the peppers for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool for a couple minutes, then dig in!

Cheesy Orzo w/ Smoked Sausage

I originally found this recipe on DisneyGo.com.  I decided to give it a little of a different twist, but not much different.  I don't have kids, and the original recipe is called Kids Pasta & Cheese, but it is so tasty, who cares!

This recipe is also easy to make, and hard to mess up.  And as with any recipe that has pasta, meat, and veggies, you can really do different things with this.  This recipe is just merely one idea, so have fun with it!

Cheesy Orzo w/ Smoked Sausage

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked orzo (little rice-shaped pasta)
1 cup frozen peas
1 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 package smoked sausage, any variety, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used the turkey kielbasa)
4 oz. shredded melting cheese (I used Parmesan.  It's best if you buy a block and shred it yourself, reason below.)
1/4 cup milk
salt & pepper as desired

*TIP:  Pre-shredded cheese is super convenient and saves a little time, but not much, plus it doesn't melt quite the same as a block of cheese.  The reason?  Pre-shredded cheese has additives in it that keep the cheese from sticking together, so even though it melts when you cook it, it somewhat maintains those individual strands of cheese instead of getting all melty and gooey.  I love melty and gooey, with cheese just pouring out.  But, it's a matter of personal preference!

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.  About two minutes before the pasta is done, add the frozen peas so they can cook.  Drain and set aside.  While pasta is cooking, saute the onions over medium-low heat until they are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the smoked sausage and continue to heat through.  Combine onions and sausage with pasta and peas (in the pasta pot), and add milk and cheese.  Stir and keep on low heat until everything is well combined and cheese is melted.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Tilapia w/ Rice, Tomatoes, & Thyme

Get ready for a mouth party!  I found this recipe on Skinny Ms.  It wasn't even the fact that it has lots of omega-3's, selenium, protein, and manganese, or that it was healthy, or that I found it on the Skinny Ms. flood blog.  The picture was worth a thousand words to me.  When I first looked at it, it reminded me of when I was a kid, something my Mom made often.  She would cook up some Spanish rice, and add a can of diced tomatoes to it.  We would put parmesan cheese and sour cream on top.  I would just mix it all in.  This recipe doesn't taste like that old childhood classic, it just looks like it. 

This recipe is so good, as soon as you take your first bite, you know you'll be making it again.  It's actually quite simple too, but it does take a little while to cook.  The wait is so well worth it though!  While I know it's not always convenient, fresh ingredients really do make a world of difference, especially herbs.  There, I said it. :-)

Tilapia w/ Rice, Tomatoes, & Thyme

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. Halibut or Tilapia (or another hardy white fish that won't break up during cooking), cut into 1" pieces
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup uncooked rice
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14 oz. can vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. drained capers
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
salt to taste
1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme

Directions: (oh yeah, did I mention this is a one-pot wonder?  Yay!
In a bowl, combine fish, lemon juice, and yogurt.  Stir well to cover all of the fish, then cover and refrigerate so that it can marinate while the rice is cooking.  Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large pot.  Cook garlic and onion until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add rice and remaining ingredients.  Stir, cover, and reduce heat to medium, allowing rice to cook for 40 minutes.  Add halibut and yogurt marinade and allow to cook until fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.  

You may need to turn the heat up a little when you add the fish.  It took 30 minutes for my fish to cook because I had the heat turned down too low.
 

Tortellini w/ Veggies & Sausage

I got this recipe from Disney Family.com.  I added a few of my own veggie favorites to it (I love mushrooms and onions in just about anything).  This is another one of those meals you can make when you need something hearty, delicious, and healthy on the table but you don't want to spend a lot of time cooking.  It's easy and fast, and doesn't dirty up a bunch of dishes.

The only difference in this photo and the recipe posted below is I didn't put the mushrooms and onions in... hadn't thought of it yet, but I know it will just round it out perfectly!  You'll end up with a ton of vegetables in relation to your pasta, so you won't have to feel like you're over-indulging in pasta (as I often do!). 

Tortellini w/ Veggies & Sausage

Ingredients:
1 pound frozen cheese tortellini (buy a big bag and have the rest for later!)
2 Tbsp. butter OR olive oil
1 cup shelled edamame
1 cup diced red pepper
1 cup diced onion
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds (I used the light Hillshire Farms, turkey kielbasa I believe, but whatever is your favorite will do)
1/2 cup Italian dressing (Kraft's Roasted Red Pepper Italian Anything Dressing is great)

Directions:
Boil water for tortellini.  In a skillet, heat the butter or oil over medium heat.  Saute the red pepper, onion, mushrooms, and sausage, until the veggies are to your desired tenderness, at least 5 minutes.  Pour tortellini in boiling water and cook according to package directions.  Add edamame to tortellini during last couple minutes of cooking.  Drain well.  Toss everything together with the Italian dressing and allow heat to evenly distribute.  Serve! 

Creamy Chicken & Rotini Primavera

This is going to be a short post, because this is a quick and easy recipe.  I realize that most of the recipes I have posted have been many ingredients and steps.  It hit me when I was cooking the next few recipes that I'm going to post.  These recipes had a few ingredients and just a couple easy steps and we had some great meals.  These are also recipes that you can easily tweak and make your own because they're hard to mess up! 

The first is this creamy chicken & rotini primavera.  You can use any combination of meat and vegetables you want, and you can really use whatever shape of pasta is your favorite.  With all of the different varieties of Italian dressing out there, you can create some different flavors there too.  I used Kraft's Roasted Red Pepper Italian for this recipe (and the next).  The ingredients are simple, very flexible, and probably things you already have at home.  I love not having to go shopping to make a recipe!

Creamy Chicken & Rotini Primavera

Ingredients:
1/2 pound dry rotini
2 Tbsp. cooking oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)
1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
1 lb. frozen vegetable mix, thawed
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Heat oil in a deep skillet and cook chicken until no longer pink.  Combine cream cheese, dressing, and milk and whisk until smooth.  Add dressing, frozen vegetables, and cooked, drained pasta to chicken and stir until combined well.  That's it!  Enjoy!