I will admit that I whipped up this Beef & Bean Chili for the sole purpose of picturing it….on a Baked Potato.  That’s right.  I’m about ready to share a big potato round-up I’ve been working on.  Stay tuned…

In the meantime, I’ll assume you’re here for a very basic, but very tasty Beef & Bean Chili recipe.  I pictured it in a bread bowl first, because to me that’s a Win in the Chili World.

I sometimes envision myself as a member of Chili World.

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Beef & Bean Chili

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 onion diced
• 1/2 cup diced sweet peppers
• 1 jalapeno diced
• 1 4.5- ounce can mild green chiles
• 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 can red beans rinsed & drained
• 1/4 cup chili sauce

Seasonings...

• 2 Tbl. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cocoa powder

To serve...

• bread bowls sour cream, crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese to garnish

Instructions

• In a heavy bottomed pot, brown ground beef. Drain and reserve. In same pot add onion and peppers; sauté until tender. Add tomatoes, beans, chili sauce and seasonings and bring to a boil. Return ground beef to pan. Adjust seasoning to taste, allow to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
• Serve in bowls or bread bowls, topped with sour cream, crispy bacon and cheddar cheese.

The post Beef & Bean Chili appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Earlier in the week, we began discussing what we would cook on Super Bowl Sunday.  All the foodie websites and fb pages were alive with recipe ideas and exchanges.  The possibilities ranged from good old favorites like wings and nachos to the more exotic Salmon Wraps and Filipino Spring Rolls.  I had every intention of hosting a virtual Super Bowl Party on my fb page, even planned a week of recipes and posts centered around that theme.  But when it came time to make the announcement….we took it in a totally different direction.  Here is the Party Announcement I shared on our fb page.

Approaching a mega-Milestone {1500 Likes} we’re thinking about hosting a party!!  With the Super Event of the Year upon us, it’s only fitting that we host a …. Groundhog Day Party!!  Beginning tomorrow afternoon throughout Saturday, February 2nd aka Groundhog Day aka a Sausage Celebration we will be sharing your sausage recipes.  I recognize not everyone embraces pork fat in the same way…so if you have an adversity to ground hog, please share your favorite ‘ground meat’ recipes.  Everyone is welcome.

And what a party we had.  200+ new friends and over 30 tasty recipes shared.  I think we should make this an annual event…we’ll call it Ground Hog Day!!

Just so happens, and thanks to my friend Cindy, we had a little ground hog in our freezer patiently waiting for just such an occasion.  To be precise, Sweet Italian Wild Hog Sausage that Cindy made herself.  And it was fabulous.  We cooked mini-patties first so we could taste the sausage on it’s own.  It was sweet with the perfect balance of flavors.  I am so impressed with this lady in many ways, and even more so now.  We built a Stromboli around this star ingredient, and called it Sausage, Peppers & Caramelized Onion Stromboli {a Groundhog Day Treat}.  And while those were the key ingredients we also added mushrooms, baby kale & spinach, and cheese(s) and wrapped it in puff pastry.

Puff Pastry comes folded in thirds making Stromboli wrapping a cinch!  Unfold thawed sheets onto parchment paper.  Using a small pairing knife, cut strips into the left and right side thirds at a slight angle as shown above.  Lay filling onto the middle third, then ‘wrap’ the filling by alternately criss-crossing strips from each side.  Once wrapped, lightly brush top with beaten egg/water.

Our Sausage, Peppers & Caramelized Onion Stromboli had a great combination of flavorful ingredients and spice.  This recipe could easily be changed up by using sliced Italian meats and cheeses with roasted red peppers or loading it with shredded buffalo chicken or how about Eggplant Parmesan Stromboli.  The wheels are spinning after enjoying this delicious dish.

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Sausage, Peppers & Caramelized Onion Stromboli {a Groundhog Day Treat}

Course Appetizer, Entree

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets 2 sheets
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• 1 lb. ground Italian Sausage
• 1 red or yellow sweet pepper small dice
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 large onion sliced
• 4 oz. mushrooms sliced
• 2-3 generous handfuls of baby greens such as kale & spinach
• 1 cup grated cheese such as cheddar or Gruyere
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbl. water

Instructions

• Thaw Puff Pastry according to package instructions.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line shallow baking pan with parchment paper.

To make the filling…

• In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, add 1 Tbl. olive oil and caramelize onions, stirring only occasionally over medium-low heat, about 15 minutes. Add in sliced mushrooms and thyme and continue cooking about another 7-10 minutes until mixture is browned nicely. Set aside.
• In the meantime, add 1 Tbl. olive oil to large skillet and brown sausage, then add in diced peppers, garlic, red pepper flakes, and cayenne and continue to cook until peppers are tender. Add sausage mixture to caramelized onions and mushrooms. Return to low heat, add in the baby greens and grated cheese stirring to combine. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

To make the Stromboli…

• Unfold and lay each thawed pastry sheet on parchment paper. The sheet will be creased in thirds. With a small pairing knife cut strips into the left and right side thirds at a slight angle (as shown in recipe post picture). Lay half of the filling onto the center third, then ‘wrap’ the filling by alternately overlapping strips from either side. Repeat with second pastry and filling.
• Once wrapped, beat egg with 1 Tbl. water and lightly brush top of each Stromboli.
• Bake for 30 minutes until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Allow to cool 5 minutes before slicing.

The post Sausage, Peppers & Caramelized Onion Stromboli {a Groundhog Day Treat} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

These beautiful mini-Sweet Peppers were smiling at me as I strolled through the produce isle.  How could I resist their vibrant ‘happy’ colors?  When it’s January, and the tornado sirens are echoing in the distance and torrential rains are beating on the window, a little ray of sunshine for dinner seemed just right.  So we kicked up our recipe with a little spice and created Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Spicy Turkey Sausage}.

For a nice change, I chose to put a Southwest twist on classic stuffed peppers.  I incorporated leaner ground turkey and Italian turkey sausage with this year’s super-food Quinoa in place of rice.  Stuffed Peppers are another wonderful dish that allows for creativity and a chance to use up some existing fridge/pantry ingredients.

So while I’m posting this as a “recipe” the key to great stuffed peppers is the stuff.  Combine a variety of veggies, ground meat (or not), beans are wonderful, whole grains are fabulous, lots of punchy spice flavors, a fresh herb or two, saute, fill, and bake.  These Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Spicy Turkey Sausage} also make a wonderful appetizer.  I picked them up and ate them like I would a jalapeno popper.  I sure did.

Before stuffing the pepper, give them a little dip in a pool of salted boiling water …4-5 minutes will soften them just enough without turning them into mush.  Drain them on paper towels and then fill them full of goodness.  We sprinkled a little grated cheese on top and baked them for 30 minutes until they looked like this.  The recipe below is enough to stuff a 2 lb. bag of peppers which will yield a BIG batch of Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Spicy Turkey Sausage}.  We enjoyed them for dinner last night, lunch today, and was still able to {Share the Love} at the office.

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Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Italian Turkey Sausage}

Course Appetizer, Entree

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme, inspired by Real Simple

Ingredients

• 1 2 lb. bag baby sweet peppers
• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground turkey or ground beef
• 2 Jennie-O Hot Italian sausages optional
• 1 cup uncooked Quinoa or rice or couscous, about 2 1/2 cups cooked
• 1 onion diced
• 1 carrot shredded
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 scallions thin sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground oregano
• 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or more according to taste
• 1 tsp. salt adjust according to taste
• 1 3 oz. can diced mild green chilies
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheese shredded (such as Monteray Jack, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar), plus 1/2 cup for topping
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For mini-Peppers, slice one side off and remove seeds. Blanch in large pot of salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes until just slightly softened. Remove from water and drain on paper towels.
• Add quinoa, onion, and carrot to 2 cups boiling water. Stir and reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 15 – 20 minutes, stirring at 5 minute intervals until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Add additional liquid ¼ cup at a time if necessary.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil and brown meat. Add garlic, scallions, and seasoning and cook for an additional minute. Stir in chilies, corn and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate. Remove mixture from heat and stir in cooked quinoa, 1 cup shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro. Adjust seasoning. Then fill peppers with mixture and arrange in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake for about 30 minutes.
• Serve with sour cream and fresh cilantro leaves.

The post Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Spicy Turkey Sausage} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.