Tag: rv cooking

From My RV Kitchen: Versatile Mediterranean Quinoa

As you know from my earlier post, we’re working as Amazon Camperforce associates in Tennessee for 3 months.

Hours are long, and I’ve been cooking dinners on our days off to reheat and eat when we get home — starving and exhausted — on work days.

So here is my version of a recipe post, a direct slap at all the Foodie Blogs that contain miles and miles of annoying and unnecessary background information and far too many precisely staged photos of every step. Are you ready? Here goes:

I made this. It’s delicious. I would make it again. Maybe you’ll like it too. Here’s the recipe.

5 from 1 vote
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Versatile Mediterranean Quinoa

I put in all the Mediterranean-inspired things I like. Feel free to make it your own by omitting, adding, and substituting at will. Want a veggie version? Omit the chicken. Hate spinach? Replace it with zucchini. Can't find Kalamata olives? Use plain black olives. You get the idea.

Makes 9 1-cup servings of 270 calories each.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 9 cups
Calories 270 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp dried dill
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained
  • 3.5 ounce jar capers drained
  • 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 6 ounces roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
  • 5 ounces kalamata olives, halved or quartered
  • 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
  • 2 cups veggie or chicken broth (For an added flavor boost, reserve some of the juice from the capers, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and/or kalamata olives, and use that as part of the 2 total cups liquid.)
  • 10 ounce bag fresh baby spinach leaves

Instructions

  1. In large (at least 6-quart) sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat, brown chicken and garlic in oil. 

    Stir in thyme, red pepper flakes, dill and turmeric.

    Add next 7 ingredients (garbanzo beans through broth/liquid) and stir to combine. 

    Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25-30 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed the liquid and becomes light and fluffy.

    Remove pan from heat and stir in spinach leaves, about 1/3 of the bag at a time, until wilted and combined.

    Serve immediately or refrigerate/freeze in smaller portions for a future meal.

My recipe is adapted from the one I found here.

You can find more stuff I’ve cooked by going to my “Categories” drop-down bar and selecting “RECIPES: Or, we’re basically a food truck.” This feature appears on the left or near the bottom of any page, depending on what type of device you’re using.

Coming up in a week or so: a mid-point assessment of our Amazon Camperforce gig

Stuffed peppers experiment: not the cooking part, just the recipe posting part

Bear with me while I learn a new trick?

Jump to Recipe

Your reward will be this slow cooker recipe I like, in an easy-to-print format that my prior food blogging efforts lacked. See the cute little “print” button under the photo? Click that.

This recipe also happens to be perfect for cool autumn weather, and it’s fairly adaptable to various types of -free diets.

I had to use a recipe I already had a photo for, because I didn’t want to cook a thing and document every step and learn how to post it all at one go, so you get an oldie.

I first served this dish in 2011, and I’d happily give credit to its original publisher if I remembered where I’d found it in the first place, so if it’s yours, speak up!

Ready?

5 from 1 vote
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Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Hearty, savory, warm, filling, and very, very, juicy. I highly recommend serving these in bowls instead of on plates!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 375 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 15.2 oz can Hunt's seasoned tomato sauce for meatloaf
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 dash ground black pepper
  • 5 whole bell peppers, any color
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 small potato, any variety, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried parsley
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 lb ground Italian sausage, spicy, mild, or sweet

Instructions

  1. In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomato sauce, oregano and pepper.

    Wash peppers and pat dry. 

    If they do not sit upright, slice a very thin piece off the bottom. Finely chop the pieces and place in large bowl. 

    Add the onion, potato, parsley and crushed red pepper to the bowl, and toss to combine. 

    Add the sausage and mix to incorporate.

    Using a paring knife at a slight angle, cut the tops off the peppers; discard the seeds. 

    Spoon the sausage mixture (about 1 cup each) into the peppers.

    Arrange the peppers upright in the slow cooker and place the tops over the filling. Cover and cook until the sausage is cooked through and the peppers are tender, 5-6 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. 

    Using two large spoons, transfer the peppers to serving dish, letting any excess liquid drain into the sauce first. Stir the sauce and serve with peppers.

Let me know what you think!

There’s one standout in every crowd?
More likely I just used what I had on hand at the time.

Here are links to other recipes I’ve posted. I will probably not go back and reformat them, even though there aren’t that many, because I’m just not that ambitious, and I have no designs on becoming a Food Blogger (capitalization intentional). But I’ll post future recipes in the format above, for ease of both viewing and printing.

You can also find my recipes by going to my “Categories” drop-down bar and selecting “RECIPES.” This feature appears on the left or near the bottom of any page, depending on what type of device you’re using.

Yes, I use my slow cooker a lot. No, I have not upgraded to an Instant Pot.

Yet.