Stuffed Banana Peppers with Chicken and Rice

Stuffed Banana Peppers with Chicken and Yellow Rice 

While the picture does not look all that attractive - they tasted great! 

This summer I grew lots of yummy peppers in my garden but I seemed to have an excess of banana peppers this year – so did my dad. When I was back home this weekend he offered me a big bag of them. I took them home and decided I would try to get creative and make up something we had not had before.  I wanted to stuff them so I set out for a rice and chicken combo. Turned out pretty great! If you have the same banana pepper problem I do this might be a great recipe to put them to use.

Here is what you will need

12 banana peppers – sliced open down the center – seeds removed and washed

Olive Oil

Cooked / shredded chicken

Saffron Rice (Yellow Rice)

Cream of Chicken Soup- I made homemade but you could use canned

Cheddar Cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Boil chicken for about 20 minutes or until cooked

While chicken is cooking clean peppers and drizzle with olive oil

Bake for about 20 minutes uncovered

While peppers are cooking shred cooked chicken into pieces

Prepare saffron yellow rice according to package

If you are going to make your own cream of chicken soup follow that recipe while rice is cooking otherwise once rice has cooked according to package add in cream of chicken soup and shredded chicken.

Mix together and allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes so that flavors can mix together

Stuff peppers with mixture and top with cheddar cheese

Bake for 20 more minutes or until cheese is brown

Enjoy- Serves 4 (3 peppers each)

Balsamic Pesto Chicken Pasta

Balsamic Pesto Chicken Pasta

This recipe takes a little bit more prep time than most nights because you will need to make your own pesto sauce. Nothing too major but realize this ahead of time. Or go for store bought but I promise the homemade will taste better.

Here is what you will need

Fresh pesto sauce

1 box of wheat penne pasta

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

3 garlic cloves

5 ripe Roma tomatoes

1/3 cup of kalamata olives

Directions

First blend your homemade pesto sauce before beginning

In a large skillet cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and heat on medium high

Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces and place into the skillet

Salt and pepper the chicken and brown the chicken. After 3 minutes place in the fresh minced garlic

You may need to drain the pan if there becomes too much juice from the chicken. This will help speed up the browning process

Aside boil water and prepare the pasta according to the package

Meanwhile add in diced Roma tomatoes and allow them to cook down for about 3 minutes

Next add in the olives (optional) and 1/3 cup of pesto sauce

Allow to simmer for a few minutes

After draining the noodles add in the remaining pesto sauce that you had made earlier.
Combine pasta into the chicken mixture - allow it to sit for a few minutes then enjoy! 

Enjoy! Serves 4

Fresh Garden Bruschetta

Fresh Garden Bruschetta

Ahh summer! Nothing beats the freshness of making foods out of the things you grew in your garden. After returning home from the beach I checked out my garden and was excited to find some ripe perfect tomatoes and lots of leafy green basil. My husband and I LOVE fresh bruschetta. We tend to buy it each weak from Wegmans or local grocery store in the deli anti-pasta section. This week I decided I was making my own version and let me just say WOW! I love it!! There is something about FRESH like really FRESH bruschetta! Amazing!! I would recommend that to anyone that shares our love for it!

Needed ingredients

8 ripe roma tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic

½ cup of fresh basil

1 small yellow onion

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Sea Salt

Ground pepper

Directions

Dice tomatoes into small bite size pieces as well as onion

Mince garlic or use a garlic press

Finely chop up basil

Combine tomatoes, onions and garlic as well as the basil in a large bowl

Mix together

Add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil as well as 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of sea set and pepper to taste.

Combine and let it sit for an hour or so in the refrigerator to bring out the flavor.

Tastes great with bagel chips, pita chips -cold or baked in the oven.

Makes about 6 servings

"A look inside the bowl before putting it into the fridge" 

Tomato Basil Pasta With Grilled Chicken

Tomato Basil Pasta with Grilled Chicken 

Just within the last few days we have been able to enjoy the fruit of our garden that we planted way back around Memorial Day. I have been waiting all summer to make one of my favorite Tomato Basil Pasta dishes. I picked the fresh basil and tomatoes from the garden and got ready to cook up a favorite. Everything about this dish reminds me of summer and fresh foods from the garden.

Ignore the pepper this is just a picture of some of the harvest from the garden. Not all of the tomatoes you will need to use are pictured. 

*I make this dish without the chicken this time because I was just cooking for myself and wanted to skip a step. That is why you won't see the chicken in the pictures. 

Here is what you will need:

½ lb of wheat penne pasta

1 cup of fresh basil

¾ stick of unsalted butter

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon of garlic salt

¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts

1 pint of small tomatoes sliced in half

¼ cup of Parmesan cheese

Directions: Makes about 4 servings

Cut the chicken breast up into small bites to sauté in a large skillet

Place ½ of the required allotment of butter into the skillet and melt

Once chicken is cooked add in the tomatoes and olive oil and seasonings, after tomatoes begin to simmer and “pop” add in the fresh basil.

In a separate pan boil water and cook penne pasta according to the box

Once penne pasta is cooked drain it and then pour it into the same pan you have the chicken and tomatoes cooking in. Stir to coat the pasta with the ingredients.

Add in remaining butter – I usually add in a dash more garlic salt and pepper.

Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!!

Tastes even better the second day!