Labni

This is an amazing little starter or appetizer.  It's rich and creamy deliciousness hides a marvelous secret... it's actually good for you!  No joke! It's main ingredient is plain unflavored yogurt so as you're chowing down on this yummy dip you're doing something good for your bones and all the other body parts that benefit from calcium rich foods.  You can use any fat content yogurt you like.  I significantly prefer the full fat version, of course, but have made it from lowfat and nonfat yogurt as well.  This is a very subtle dip and I like the added richness the full fat yogurt adds.

This recipe make a pretty good size batch so you might want to cut down the quantity. In the first part of the recipe, what you're actually making is a yogurt cheese.  This can be used in all sorts of ways.  It's a nice alternative to soft cheeses like cream cheese or goat cheese.  It has it's own unique flavor that I would describe as a slightly sweet, slightly tangy, mellow flavor. The yogurt you start with will obviously greatly affect   these characteristics. When you make the labni, just section out a portion of the yogurt cheese and add the mint and olive oil so you can use the rest for another type of application.
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Labni

64 ounces of plain yogurt ( I use Mountain High )

2-3 teaspoons salt

dried mint

good olive oil

pita bread 

1. Stir salt into yogurt and mix thoroughly.

2. Line a large bowl with a rectangle of double thickness of cheesecloth.  Pour the yogurt into the botton of the bowl.  Draw up the corners of the cheese cloth and tie securely with butchers twine. It will look like a hobos sack.  Hang it with butchers twine over the faucet of you kitchen sink or on an upper cabinet knob and place a bowl beneath it.  Allow to drain overnight. (I do this right before I go to bed and then hubby pops it in the fridge for me as soon as he wakes up.  He gets up much earlier than I do!)

3. Remove from the cheese cloth and refrigerate.
4. Make the dip by spreading a thick layer of the cheese over a plate.  As you do this, create some deeper grooves in a circular pattern following the shape of the plate.  Drizzle with your best olive oil and sprinkle with dried mint.  Serve with Pita bread cut into wedges.

Stuffed Peppers

I love this recipe!  It makes a simple, fairly healthy, comfort food dinner that brings a smile to my face as I pull it out of the oven.  It reminds me of something my mom would have made for the family on an evening when there was still a chill in the air. Usually, for me, comfort food and fairly health don’t go together in the same sentence!

The comfort food I generally crave has lots of fat and white carbs. Well, this dish happily doesn’t have either.  The original recipe is from, none other than the amazing, Emeril.  I’ve changed it very little making minor adjustment to add a bit more nutrition and less fat.  I have added more salt and pepper.  I think when you’re making simple dishes like this the salt and pepper ratio is more important than ever.  I remember when I was first married; I had dinner with one of my mother in laws dear friends.  Her name was Gloria and she was a legendary cook.  She told me that if you don’t get the salt and pepper right in a dish, it’s never going to taste great.  Frankly, I think she was right on the money.  Luckily, no one in my fam has a health issue with salt so I’m pretty liberal with it.  Any time I’m seasoning a dish and the flavor isn’t quite singing, I add a little more salt.  When it’s right, I start hearing a lovely song coming right out of my food!

I hope you give this recipe a try before the warm weather of summer is upon us.  Try it on a night when you're craving a simple, warm dinner that reminds you of when life experiences were simple and warm. ;)

Stuffed Peppers:  adapted from Emeril
serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 mixed red, yellow and orange bell peppers, tops cut away and seeds removed
• 1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsely leaves
• 2-3 teaspoon salt ( will also depend on how much the cooked rice was seasoned )
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• pinch white sugar
• Water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.

3. In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chopped bell peppers and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the beef, pork, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon to break up the lumps, about 6 minutes. Add the rice and tomato sauce and stir well. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

4. Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom, about 1/8-inch deep. Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture and place in the baking dish. Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Southern California is beautifully sunny right now but the air is still cool and crisp, just perfect for serving these yummy peppers!