Southwest-Stuffed Peppers (In A Crock Pot!)

Here we are again, readers - Thursday, also known as NOT YET FRIDAY. All this week has seemed to fly by but this morning it's come to a screeching halt and feels like I've been sitting at my desk for at least 9 hours when in actuality it's only been 3. How does that even work? Anyway, enough of my complaints, and let's instead talk about fun things!


Last night my work best friend and I snagged preseason Carolina Hurricanes tickets so we decided to have a night full of sexy hockey men and beer drinking (well, mainly I was the one drinking). However, due to the fact arena and stadium food can cost a small fortune, and I wasn't entirely sure of the availability of vegetarian-friendly options, I instead opted to eat at home.

So let's take it on back to Tuesday night, shall we? The Crock Pot is an ingenious gadget that can be used to prepare all sorts of things! Soups, casseroles, hot cider, queso dip, pulled meats! The best thing about them is you can prep everything ahead of time, turn it on in the morning and have dinner totally ready by the time you get home! Who doesn't love that sort of convenience? So Tuesday night after my dinner of Roasted Chickpea Gyros, I set to work on preparing the ingredients for my Southwest-Stuffed Peppers.


Southwest-Stuffed Peppers

4 large bell peppers, seeded and de-ribbed (find fat and sturdy peppers that can stand up)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can refried black beans
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp red chile powder (or paprika)
2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 C yellow rice, cooked
1/4 C pickled jalapenos, drained or 1/4 C chopped green chile
1 C shredded cheddar cheese


The evening before you plan to eat your stuffed peppers, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft. Add in your black beans and refried beans, season with salt, pepper, red chile powder (or paprika if you aren't a New Mexican) and cumin, and cook until heated through. Set aside.


Cook rice according to package instruction. Personally, I've always associated yellow rice with Southwest and Mexican cuisines because my father would always serve it when we ate Southwestern foods, but obviously any sort of cooked rice would do. Or even quinoa if you wanted to go that route.


After your peppers have been cleaned out, spoon about 1/4 C of the bean mixture into the bottom of the pepper, top with 1/4 C rice, a layer of jalapenos or chile, another 1/4 C bean mixture, and top with a few more jalapenos or chile. My 6 quart Crock Pot comfortably fit 4 bell peppers. Store your stuffed peppers in the fridge until ready to cook.


The peppers cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours. I went the 4-6 hour route. The final 20 minutes of your selected time frame, top each pepper with 1-4 C of shredded cheese and change the temperature to the "keep warm" setting and replace the lid. The steam will help melt the cheese - plus the crock pot will still be hot for the next few hours anyway.


The peppers themselves were the perfect texture of soft with a little crunch - al dente? Could that apply to peppers? Sure, why not. We'll go with the peppers were the perfect al dente. The filling was flavorful, spicy and reminded me of dinners I had as a kid. Plus who doesn't love the fact that dinner is ready by the time they get home? We're all busy and functioning adults here, aren't we? I know I loved the convenience of rushing home from the gym at 6:20 PM, quickly changing my clothes, devouring this pepper in less than 5 minutes and still making it to the game in time for puck drop!


Good luck making it through Friday, Jr., readers! Stay tuned for some exciting seafood recipes!

Honey Walnut Shrimp with Roasted Asparagus

Alright, here we are at post 2 of 2 for today! After a long weekend of doing basically nothing, last night I was itching to make some delicious food for myself and my honey bunny, and Honey Walnut Shrimp with Roasted Asparagus sounded too good to resist! I adapted this recipe from Hungry Girl (which, you know I adore). The original recipe can be found here and I highly suggest you use it because it sounds fantastic!


Honey Walnut Shrimp

Nonstick cooking spray
4 Tbsp flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb jumbo raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
1 egg, beaten
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tsp lemon juice
Dash paprika
1/2 C chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray and set aside.


In a zip-top bag or sealable container, combine flour, salt and pepper and set aside.


Peel, devein and de-tail shrimp. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Once they're dry, dip them in the egg to coat them, shaking off any excess. Coat the shrimp in the seasoned flour and line on the baking sheet. Repeat until all shrimp are dredged. Give the coated shrimp another spritz with the nonstick spray and bake for 5 minutes, flip and bake another 5 minutes or until crisp (mine could've used a few more minutes but I was hungry).


While the shrimps are cooking, in a microwave-safe bowl, combine mayo, honey, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper. Right before the shrimp come out of the oven, microwave the mixture for 20 seconds. Toss the shrimp in the sauce to coat (using any extra to drizzle on the asparagus you will soon know how to make). Top with chopped walnuts.


Roasted Asparagus


1 lb asparagus, ends removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp lemon pepper


Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray and set aside.


Toss asparagus in olive oil and seasonings and bake for 20 minutes or until crisp. The perfect time to get these in the oven is while you're preparing your shrimp! Eveything will be done roughly the same time! Isn't that magical! Plus easy clean-up since the cookie sheets are foil-lined!


The shrimp were filling, the sauce was spicy, tangy and creamy and the asparagus were crisp and the perfect leftover sauce vehicle! This recipe made exactly 2 plates: 1 for me, 1 for Nate. Should I have eaten a half pound each of shrimp and asparagus for dinner last night? Probably not. Am I ashamed that I did? Absolutely not! Zero regrets!


Enjoy your week, readers! Stay tuned for more fantastic recipes!

Vegetarian Jambalaya

Happy Monday, readers! So I'm going to preface this post by apologizing for sucking. Yes. I continually promise that I will post more, update more and blah, blah, blah. But I guess promises are meant to be broken!


Anyway, on Wednesday night (yeah, I'm that far behind on my posts), my dear friend Meghan came over for dinner for a final visit before she moves to Charlotte, North Carolina. I have been fortunate enough to know this girl from working at Spring Rolls and she is a lovely person inside and out. I will miss her dearly. Since she's an adventurous eater, I subjected her to my very first attempt at Vegetarian Jambalaya, which to her delight (and my surprise) was delicious!


Vegetarian Jambalaya

3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb vegetarian sausage (I used the Lightlife Gimme Lean)
4 large celery stalks, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (seeded if you are not keen on spice)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 C uncooked white rice (or brown if you prefer)
4 1/2 C vegetable stock
2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
1 Tsp smoked paprika
2 Tsp hot sauce (I used Tobasco)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Crusty bread, for serving


In a deep pot over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add in garlic and sauté until fragrant. Next add in the vegetarian sausage and break up until it resembles ground beef. This takes effort. The sausage is not nearly as pliable as regular meat. Cook until heated through.


Add in the celery and jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes until softened.


Add in the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and cover. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (I neglected this step so some of my rice burned). The jambalaya is done when all the rice has soaked up the excess liquid.


Serve this spicy and filling dish with a few slices of crusty bread and a large glass of cool and fruity Pinot Gris.


I was able to get about six 1 1/2 C servings out of this recipe and each time it tasted better and better!


Next up: Honey Walnut Shrimp with Roasted Asparagus!

Creamy Vegetable Soup (Without Using Dairy!)

Good morning, readers! Yesterday Raleigh was rainy, windy and a brisk 65 degrees. Fall was definitely in the air and I loved every minute of it. The weather was perfect soup and snuggle weather so after my disastrous morning and a hard cycling workout all I wanted was warm soup and comfortable pajamas. So that's exactly what I did!


This soup recipe (a modified Pinterest find) was so simple and only took 30 minutes to make! How ridiculous is that? A completely homemade soup in 30 minutes? What?! It takes longer to open a can of soup and boil it than to make this creamy and delicious recipe.


Creamy Vegetable Soup (Without Using Dairy!)

3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for garnish
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
4 C vegetable stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp dried rosemary (or 2 Tbsp fresh), plus more for garnish
1/4 C parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish (this is totally optional)
Kosher salt, for garnish
Crusty bread, for serving


In a heavy stock pot over medium-high heat, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in carrots and potatoes and season. Pour in vegetable stock and cover. Let the vegetables simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.


Now comes the fun part! Using an immersion blender (or regular blender if you don't have a fancy immersion one) liquefy the vegetables until smooth. You'll be utterly amazed by how creamy this soup gets without a single drop of dairy! Now, you can totally leave the soup like this and it'll be completely vegan or....ADD IN CHEESE! Ah yes, cheese, the maker of all things delicious. I added in 1/4 C finely shredded parm and blitzed it up with the immersion blender. Do a taste check and serve it up! If you want to make Instagram-worthy bowls, drizzle the top with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle on some kosher salt, more rosemary and a little bit of cheese.


This whole meal came together in 30 minutes and was utterly fantastic and filling! Plus while the vegetables were simmering away, I got to shout out Wheel of Fortune answers at the television so really it was a win-win in the Hart household. Enjoy your Tuesday, readers!

Raleigh Greek Festival

Happy Monday, readers. I hope you and your loved ones are all safe and unaffected by this horrific hurricane. Much of my family lives in Florida and I am sincerely wishing them comfort, good health and luck during this time. I haven't heard of their welfare since the storm hit and am a little nervous. I'm hoping that my positive attitude will keep them safe.


Anyway, I don't know about you but I've had the most Monday-est Monday ever. I come in to work and suddenly all of our security doors close and I can't get them to open back up. Why is this an issue? No one could access their offices. See the issue now? So by 8:15 I was getting a phone call a minute and an e-mail a second "informing" me of the issue. It was annoying and stressful. After a few more hours the problem was fixed and I was returned to my regularly scheduled programming. This weekend, however, was far from the "case of the Mondays" I experienced this morning - it was magnificent!


Friday night saw beer drinking, baked ziti eating and Walking Dead binge-watching. It was glorious and just what the doctor ordered after a long week last week (and an even longer week this week).


After being recliner-bound for longer than I'd care to admit, Saturday Nate and I were itching to rejoin the world of the living (pun intended) and a trip to Raleigh's Greek Festival was the perfect excuse! I love Greek Festivals and I went to Albuquerque's Greek Festival annually for many years. It will always hold fond memories for me and I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered Raleigh hosts it's own last year.


My favorite part about Greek fest is definitely the food...or is it the wine? The dancing and music? It's obviously very difficult for me to pick a favorite. This year Nate and I opted to split a "Greek Sampler" plate with a side Greek salad for me and half a chicken for him. The sampler came with giant chunks of salty feta cheese, briny kalamata olives, lemony Dolmades (stuffed-grape leaves), flaky and buttery spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), pepperoncini, and Greek meatballs. Nate and I split everything except the spanakopita and the meatballs. Everything was excellent and I wish I had brought my extra stomach along to gorge myself more.

After linner, Nate and I took a stroll around the market place and bought some homemade soap and jam before hitting up the beer/wine/spirit tent. The wine at Greek fest is superb. A delectable dry red wine was the perfect ending to my Greek feast (and I got a whole bottle to take home with me for $19), while Nate opted for a shot of ouzo. I am not a huge fan of liquors that taste like fennel...or star anise, meaning you won't catch me drinking ouzo or absinthe anytime soon. But Nate liked it. We drank our wine while we watched the dancers and then wandered over to a cooking demo! How great is that?! We learned to make a Greek side dish that I intend to make very, very soon.


You may be asking yourself, how could they possibly eat any more food?! Well, we couldn't leave Greek fest without some dessert. We could've opted for a baklava sundae (yum) but instead decided to get the Loukoumades aka delicious balls of fried heaven sprinkled with cinnamon, powdered sugar and chopped nuts. Seriously, I could've eaten an entire bowl of these babies myself but I decided to be nice and share with my husband instead.

I love this festival and may even stretch to say it's a little better than Albuquerque's. Unfortunately, this year's festival is over (it was only for the weekend) but if you love Greek food, music and having a good time, I highly recommend checking out next year's festival!


Stay tuned for some fall recipes coming up and stay safe. I will be sending good vibes down South until this whole mess is resolved and urge you to do the same.

Moroccan-Inspired Chickpea Bowls

Happy Thursday, readers! I hope your short week has been productive! Mine certainly has been, so much so that I'm thinking that all work places should institute a 4-day work week as opposed to a 5. Think about it, your employees are happier because they only have to endure 4 days of work, they're not quite as burnt out by Friday and are more productive because there is less time during which to complete tasks! Makes sense, doesn't it?


Anyway, last Friday one of the younger attorneys at the office told me about a restaurant in downtown Raleigh that specializes in Moroccan and Indian foods called Garland. She told me to check out their online menu, so I did. They had quite the array of different options but what caught my eye was the Moroccan "Hummus". Why was hummus in quotation marks? Was it not really hummus? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! Thankfully, this same attorney came by my desk later on and gave me a sample of the "hummus" and I will forever be in her debt - Sarah, you the real MVP.


The "hummus" was full of big flavor - cinnamon, coriander, chili, turmeric and I have no idea what else; the chickpeas were left whole and coated in a sort of tomato sauce and (according to their menu) also mixed with house-made crema. I NEEDED TO MAKE THIS AT HOME ASAP and thank you to Pinterest, I found a recipe to use as a guide (of course I did my own twists).


Moroccan-Inspired Chickpea Bowls

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 C onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 14 oz cans chickpeas, drained
2 14 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes, not drained
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Garam Masala (substitute recipe to follow)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash cayenne
Cooked rice or couscous (for serving)
1 cucumber, diced (for serving)
Lemon juice (for serving)
Plain Greek yogurt (for serving)
Fresh cilantro (for serving)
Fresh mint (for serving)


In a heavy Dutch oven, over medium heat, sauté onions until soft and translucent. Add in garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add in the chickpeas, spices, and tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes on low.


After your chickpea mixture is cooked through you're ready to build your bowl! I did a layer of rice and cucumbers, topped with chickpea mixture and liquid and garnished with lemon juice, fresh cilantro, fresh mint and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to tie everything together.


This meal was a cinch to make and VERY filling. I had one bowl-full and was stuffed for the rest of the night! This recipe yielded about 6 servings (or 2 Lindsey-appropriate servings and 2 Nate-appropriate servings).


Garam Masala Substitute


3 Tsp ground coriander (or whole seeds)
3 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp cumin
1 Tsp clove
1/2 Tsp cardamom
1/2 Tsp fresh ground black pepper


If you're like me and forgot to purchase Garam Masala, or your local grocer didn't carry it, fear not! This is a recipe I found online and while I'm not entirely sure how it compares to the original, it was delicious nonetheless.


In your trusty mortar and pestle (or spice grinder if you're fancy), grind your whole coriander until mostly pulverized. Mix in other spices.


Obviously this particular recipe only calls for a small amount of the spice mixture so save the rest in an air-tight container (another use for those empty baby food jars you have for some unknown reason!)


Enjoy the rest of your Thursday, readers! Stay tuned for some great fall recipes!

Poole's Diner

Happy Tuesday, readers! I hope you had a relaxing and stress-free weekend! I know I did. Nate and our friend Seth decided to go camping in Shenandoah for the weekend so Seth's fiancé Abbey and I decided to have a girls' weekend!


We began Friday with snacks and rose (of course) and then watched Finding Dory and Mean Girls, because we're millennial girls and it's pretty much required that at a sleepover you watch nostalgia fodder. She was gracious enough to let me stay in her guest room. Sidebar: doesn't that sound grown up? I have friends who have a guest room!

On Saturday morning we decided to treat ourselves to brunch at a restaurant we both had been wanting to try: Poole's Diner. Poole's was opened by Raleigh's own Iron Chef Ashley Christensen and as with all her other ventures, this meal was nothing short of extraordinary.

Poole's Diner is located at 426 S McDowell St, Raleigh, NC 27601 and frankly I have driven by this location multiple times and have never once realized this small unassuming building housed such a magnificent restaurant. The menu uses fresh and seasonal ingredients and as such they don't post it online. Several of the brunch items changed weekly according to what was freshest.

Décor: the restaurant is very narrow. There is a long bar snaking its way from the entrance to the back of the restaurant and several smaller tables and booths along the wall. Despite the narrowness of the space it didn't look cluttered and never once did I feel claustrophobic or like I was sitting on top of my fellow diners. Everything feels vintage-yet luxurious from the booths and bar stools to the chalkboard menus and wait staff.


Food appearance: everything looked divine. If Ashley Christensen's name is on it, it's without a doubt going to look as great as it will taste.


Food taste: we began with mimosas because it was brunch, the socially acceptable time to drink prior to noon on any given day. Neither of us had eaten dinner on Friday night so by 11:00 AM on Saturday we were both pretty ravenous. Luckily for us, the menu offered sides and starters for brunch! We were stuck between the Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts and the Biscuits - ultimately, (with some help from our server) we decided on the Biscuits and boy I'm glad we did! The biscuits were served warm, were huge, flaky, buttery, slightly crunchy and served with cultured butter and house-made peach jam. I am literally drooling as I reminisce about the way these biscuits tasted. The peach jam was slightly sweet without being overpowering and the butter was delightfully decadent. My only knock was the butter was a little too hard for spreading purposes.

After we had curbed our stomach growling, I ordered the Eggs Benedict with a thick slice of tomato to replace the crispy ham (another suggestion from our knowledgeable waitress) and it was bar none the best eggs benny I've ever had! The béarnaise sauce was thick, creamy, lemon-y and so good I wanted to lick my plate so none of the magic was wasted (I didn't do this, but I definitely wanted to). The English muffin was perfectly toasted, the acid from the tomato added the perfect balance to the richness of the exquisitely poached egg and decadent sauce.

Abbey ordered the BLT sandwich. Toasted sourdough bread slathered with malt aioli, fresh slices of avocado, crisp lettuce, juicy tomato and slice-upon-slice of crispy bacon. She said it was delightful, and (when used to sop up my remaining béarnaise sauce) should be served with a side of sauce all it's own to make the sandwich even more indulgent.

Service: the staff was friendly, knowledgeable and professional. Everything worked like a well oiled machine from the host to the kitchen. Definitely A+ service in this establishment.


Cleanliness: tables were quickly turned over and reset and the bathrooms (dubbed "people rooms") were some of the cleanest and most well stocked I've ever experienced. Bobby pins, hairspray, q-tips, cotton swabs and feminine products galore! It was refreshing to see a restaurant take such care for something so minor.


I would definitely recommend paying a visit to Poole's Diner if you're ANYWHERE near Raleigh. It's excellent food in a relaxed atmosphere and you will most definitely NOT leave hungry. I found out this weekend that Mama and Papa Hart will be visiting Nate and I for Thanksgiving, maybe I can convince them to brunch with us at this glorious testament to food.

Enjoy your short week everyone!