Mini Stuffed Peppers

I bought ground beef in an effort to up my iron intake, only then to realize that I have no idea what to do with ground beef. I didn’t have buns to make a burger and was afraid of attempting a meatloaf, so what’s a girl to do? My best piece of advice here is to ask your mom. Without fail, she’ll have the prefect ground beef recipe just ready and waiting for you use. My mom’s idea? Stuffed peppers.

Here’s the recipe she gave me and my first attempt at this classic dish.

Mini stuffed peppers

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

• 4 mini green stuffed peppers (tops cut off and de-seeded)
• ½ pound ground beef
• 1 cup of cooked rice
• ½ jar of tomato sauce
• ½ yellow onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Garden Zucchini Linguine

I finally fell victim to the zucchini noodle trend. I’ve been seeing it flying around Pinterest and initially wrote if off because, you know, Pinterest lies. But after hearing a couple rave reviews, I tried it out. To my surprise, it was actually really tasty and not too difficult.

There are a bunch of recipes out there, but here’s what I did.

Zucchini Linguine with Heirloom Tomato Sauce

Ingredients: Serves 2

• 1 large zucchini — the one I used was the size of a caveman club
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes (cubed)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic (diced)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 6 leave fresh basil (chopped)
• Salt and pepper

To prepare the zucchini:

Step 1: Shave the zucchini lengthwise with a carrot peeler to create long, even strips. Stop shaving once you reach the seeds. Use all four sides of the zucchini.

Beat the Winter Blues with Summer Pasta Salad

Winter storm Hercules just bombarded the northeast with the wrath of a Greek god, leaving millions already wishing for summer. While we’re still bracing for some cold months ahead, it doesn’t mean we can’t pretend it’s summer — at least with our food choices.

Nothing reminds me of summer more than a colorful pasta salad. Millions of iterations of this dish exist, but I prefer to keep my pasta salad simple. All you need are some veggies and left over pasta.

Here’s my summer pasta salad recipe that’ll cure the winter blues.

Summer Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

• Italian dressing
• 1 box of cooked pasta (any shape)
• 2 carrots
• 1 green pepper
• 10 wax beans
• 1 small tomato
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Centre County Pennsylvania Farm Tour

Happy belated farm week! In celebration, I spent the other weekend touring farms in Centre County Pennsylvania. I’m extremely interest in local agriculture.

My dad’s an avid gardener and supplies my family’s kitchen with fresh fruits and vegetables all summer. Eating out of my backyard taught me the difference between store-bought flavors and local food. For that reason, I take an interest in where my food comes from.

During the day-long tour, I visited four local farms in the central, PA area. I received behind-the-scenes tours of two, Amish-run farms, an inside look at the life of a dairy farmer, and a tour of an organic animal farm. In those four stops, I learned a lot about the farming community, and better yet, bought a lot of delicious food.

After collecting fresh and local cheese, meat, and veggies from each of the farms, I made it my mission to cook a hearty, locally sourced meal. Here’s what I came up with.

Quick Dinner: Baked Potato

Broccoli, carrots, black olives

One of my favorite dinners growing up was my mom’s famous baked potato bar. My siblings and I would come home from school and load up our personal potatoes with vegetables, cheese and sour cream.

Looking back, I realize my mom probably used this dinner as a way to get us to eat more vegetables, but it was still my favorite.

Even now, I make myself baked potatoes at least once a month for dinner. The great part about them is that they are super quick and only require a microwave. What college student wouldn’t like that?

Baked Potato Ingredients: (Serves 1)

• 1 medium sized potato
• 1/8 cup chopped broccoli
• 1/8 cup cut carrots
• 1/8 cup sliced black olives
• 1/8 cup cabbage slaw
• 1/8 cup grated cheese (any available)
• 1/8 cup mini-pepperoni
• 1 dollop sour cream (or non-fat Greek yogurt)

The Secrets of Acorn Squash

On my most recent supermarket expedition, I decided to buy something I’ve never cooked before. After wondering around the produce section for 20 minutes, while my roommate shot me death glares of boredom, I stumbled across the simple, acorn squash.

They’re the funny shaped squash that look like a cross between an acorn, a small watermelon, and a ruffle potato chip. As a typical broke college student, I checked out the price and for under $2 a squash, I knew I found my ingredient.

Once I brought it back to my college house, the Googling began. I found some great acorn squash baking tips online, but couldn’t settle for one recipe. That’s why I’m giving you two acorn squash recipes for the price of one! Feel free to pick a favorite.

Brown Sugar Baked Acorn Squash Ingredients: (Serves 2)

• 1/2 acorn squash
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Parmesan and Thyme Crusted Acorn Squash Ingredients: (Serves 2)

• 1/2 acorn squash
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

The Health Benefits of Saint Patrick’s Day: Green Vegetables

Saint Patrick’s Day is synonymous with Ireland, beer and the color green. Since green is top-of-mind for many Saint Patrick’s Day fanatics, I figured no day is better to share the health benefits of green food!

There’s no such thing as a super-food, but if one existed, it would be a green vegetable. Dark, leafy greens are chocked full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients necessary for full body health. Many college students overlook green vegetables as a source of nutrition, but in lieu of Saint Patrick’s Day, why not embrace the greens! (Sorry, green beer doesn’t count)

Health Benefits of Green Vegetables

The USDA recommends eating 1 1/2 to 2 cups of dark green vegetables each week. Why you ask? Well, green vegetables are linked to colon and heart health. They are also rich in fiber, potassium, folate and vitamin A. But that’s not all, green veggies are cholesterol free and low in fat, sodium and calories!

Still want to know more? Lets get more specific.

Quick Dinner: Vegetable Tofu Stir-Fry

For 18 years, tofu scared me. My mom would try to get me to eat it, but it always tasted like printer paper and the texture fell somewhere between a sun-baked gummy bear and solidified glue. I would watch my brother down Tex-Mex flavored hunks of the stuff, but it never appealed to me. That is, until I tried it in a stir-fry.

Over my years of forced tofu tasting, I’ve learned that tofu only tastes as good as the rest of the dish it’s in. That’s why I happen to like the stuff when it’s smothered in stir-fry sauce. If you too are a tofu un-enthusiast, here’s a great dish to get your feet into the tofu pool.

Vegetable Tofu Stir-Fry Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry

• Tofu (Extra firm)
• Frozen bag of stir fry vegetables
• Stir-fry sauce (My favorite is Kikkoman)
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• Garlic (Diced)
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil

Step 1: Cut tofu into bite sized cubes. In a pan, add sesame oil and garlic heat on medium-low heat. Add tofu. Cook until flavors are absorbed and tofu begins to brown. Take tofu out of pan and place aside.

How to Eat More Vegetables

The USDA recommends that men and women between the ages of 19-30 eat between 2.5 and 3 cups of vegetables per day.

Let’s be honest, very few college students are actually reaching that number. We all know it’s important to eat our vegetables, but most of us find it difficult to fit them into our daily meals.

My mom’s a dietitian and I’m the first to admit I struggle with this (Sorry, mom). That’s why I’ve come up with some easy ways to sneak veggies into my diet. It’s been working for me, so I thought I’d share my tips with you!

Tips on eating more vegetables:

Lunch  –

1. Throw fresh spinach into canned soup. It’ll wilt down when you heat it up, adding freshness to your soup and an extra serving of veggies.
2. Add carrot shavings to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. People don’t believe me, but peanut butter and carrots actually go really well together. This is a great way to add a crunch to your sandwich and up your veggie count.
3. Like buffalo chicken? Try mixing a low calorie blue cheese dressing and hot sauce to create a rich dipping sauce for celery and carrots. It’s the closest thing to making vegetables taste like meat.
4. Bulk up your sandwiches. Every time you eat a sandwich, make sure to add tons of veggies. It’ll add nutrition and crunch to your lunch.