You have no idea!

Any stuffed pepper recipe I currently have on my recipe page is about to be deleted.

We have a new favorite.

This recipe was inspired 100% by a meal Chris and I had this weekend.  After our long day [...]]]> I am so flipping excited to share this recipe with you.

You have no idea!

Any stuffed pepper recipe I currently have on my recipe page is about to be deleted.

We have a new favorite.

This recipe was inspired 100% by a meal Chris and I had this weekend.  After our long day hiking up a mountain, I was in no mood to cook.  We went out for dinner, for the first time in awhile, to El Monte.  We had never been before, but heard amazing reviews.  It’s not right downtown and kind of set back from the street, so even after 1.5yrs here, we just now heard about it.

El Monte is Oaxacan inspired and the menu is packed with stellar options.  They use local, organic produce + meats whenever possible, use freshly cut avocados for each bowl of guacamole, and make all of their liquor drinks from scratch [no syrup mixes]. 

We were impressed with the menu and even more impressed that I had more than 1 option [gluten free + veggie can be tricky!].  Our server brought us a complimentary bowl of their original guacamole, which we requested.  You also have the option of “make your own” or “exotic guacamole,” which includes strawberries, mangos, goat cheese, and a few other ingredients.  We’ve heard it’s phenomenal.  The original guacamole did not disappoint and neither did the fresh chips + salsa.  They brought out a smoky red salsa + a tomatillo salsa.  The red was without a doubt, my favorite salsa ever.

Okay, I’ll stop gushing now.

Chris and I ended up ordering the same thing, a rarity.

Roasted Relleno – poblano chile stuffed with coastal rice, red quinoa, greens, menonita cheese, nestled atop crema black bean sauce, served with coastal rice + market fresh roasted vegetables

As soon as the first bite hit my lips, I knew this needed to be recreated at home.  While I changed up a few things, I kept the idea of the dish the same.

• no poblano pepper – they’re expensive right now
• no coastal rice – no idea what that is?
• white quinoa instead of red – it’s cheaper!
• small amount of black beans mixed into the rice/quinoa mixture – just because

The mix of ground brown rice and quinoa I decided on, was pretty spot on to the texture we had at dinner.  It was a thick, sticky rice, not lacking at all in moisture.

I decided to only lightly roast the pepper, so it still had a little bit of bite to it.  I also kept the black bean crema sauce a bit thicker and left more of the bean texture.

The flavors that night were fresh, but not overpowering.  I usually spice my Mexican-style recipes much more than this, but I loved the simplicity of the flavors.  The texture of the rice + quinoa mixture really sets this dish apart from other stuffed pepper recipes I’ve made in the past.  It’s so creamy that it seems indulgent.

Quinoa, Rice + Bean Stuffed Peppers [serves 3]

• 3 large bell peppers
• 1/2c quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2c ground brown rice
• 2c no/low sodium vegetable broth
• 3/4c black beans
• 2T oil
• 1.5t garlic, minced
• 1t ground cumin
• 1/2t oregano
• 1/2-1t adobo chipotle sauce [opt]
• 0-1/2t *salt
• black pepper
• cheese [opt]

1. Wash your peppers, slice lengthwise and carefully deseed.
2. Coat on all sides with a small amount of oil [about 1/2-1T total] and sprinkle with salt.  Set aside on a baking sheet.
3. In a medium sized pot, heat 1T oil over medium heat.
4. Once hot, add the garlic, cumin, oregano *salt [if using no sodium broth add 1/4-1/2t], and adobo sauce [if using].
5. Stir constantly for 20-30 seconds until the garlic begins to brown. 
6. Add in the rinsed quinoa, ground brown rice, and veggie broth and stir well.
7. Turn the heat up slightly and bring to a boil, stirring every minute or so.
8. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cover for 25min. 
• Preheat your broiler on high in the last 5 minutes.
9. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10min.
10. Place the baking sheet with the peppers into the oven to broil for 3-5min per side.  The peppers should be slightly softened, but not charred or mushy.
11. Fluff the quinoa mixture with a fork and gently stir in the black beans, and fresh ground black pepper.  Add more salt if needed.  The mixture with be very moist + sticky.
12. Stuff mixture into the peppers.  Top with cheese [I used extra sharp cheddar] + broil if desired.

tips/substitutions:  Brown rice can be ground in a high power blender, coffee grinder, spice grinder or magic bullet.  Grind until the point of fine pieces, but not at all flour-like.  It will look like flakes of brown rice.  Arrowhead Mills also sells this.  If you don’t want to use ground brown rice, use 1c quinoa with 2c broth and reduce the cook time to 15min.  Chipotle adobo sauce comes in a small can and is extremely spicy.  You can freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray and store in a plastic bag in the freezer to use again.  Substitute 1/4t [or more] cayenne pepper + 1/2t chili powder if desired.

Black Bean Crema Sauce

• 1c black beans
• 1/4c half + half creamer
• 1/2T oil
• 3/4t garlic, minced
• 1/2t ground cumin
• 1/2t chili powder
• pinch of cayenne
• 1/8t salt

1. In a food processor/magic bullet/blender combine the beans and cream and process until smooth but not fully puréed.  You want some of the bean texture left in tact.
2. In a small pan, over medium heat, heat the oil.
3. Once hot, add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne + salt and stir constantly for 20-30sec until the garlic begins to brown.
4. Empty the black bean mixture into the hot pan, reduce heat to med-low, and stir until combined.
5. Let cook for 2-3, stirring frequently.
6. Serve under or on top of the stuffed pepper.

tips/substitutions: To make vegan, I would use soymilk or plain soy creamer. 

To add a little more oomph to this meal, mix in a lightly seasoned protein of choice to the rice mixture.

And you always have the option to broil a little cheese on top.

Someone did a little happy dance in the kitchen today.

And that someone was me.

Enjoy!

Ashley

photography blog updated with the lovely krista + julian

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I haven’t played in a few [...]]]> Saturday brought a gorgeous, 78 degree day.  What better way to spend it than outside.  Even better, at the golf course.  I’ve played golf off + on since I was pretty young.  My dad is an avid golf player and taught me most everything I know about the game.

I haven’t played in a few years, but it’s always fun to go out for a round of 9 holes.  When you haven’t played in awhile, 18 holes can be a bit frustrating.  9 is perfect!

We walked + carried our bags for exercise.  Definitely a good workout, hauling the clubs around.

Grandpa Peter, got a little crazy with his pull cart. 

I shot pretty well, considering how long it had been since I last played!  For the most part, everything went where I aimed, but not always too far.

Couldn’t ask for a prettier day. 

For dinner, we headed to one of our favorite Old Town spots, Crown Pub.  We eat here pretty frequently, and haven’t had a bad experience yet.  Although there are only a few veggie options, they are all stellar.  Especially the King’s Curry.  It is full of veggies + the sauce is phenomenal. 

We dined with crazy Peter, Michelle + Devon.

I ordered the soup of the day, which was wild rice and mushroom.  It turned out to be one of the best soups I’ve ever eaten.  I also ordered the house salad, which is topped with a lot of fresh veggies.  Their salad dressings are also amazing.  Yesterday, I chose the charred shallot + basil creamy vinaigrette.  Delish!

Nice night out with the huz! 

I think I finally caught up on sleep from when my mom was here.  Today, I was off to the gym by bike, and had a great workout.  Then, I headed to Pat + Natalie’s house to do a maternity photo shoot.  I’m trying to start a people-photography business and wanted to use Pat + Nat as test subjects.  Although extremely different from food photography, it’s a fun + rewarding new challenge.  Posing people is not easy!  I spent about 2.5hrs photographing.  We tried a handful of different scenes + outfit changes.  It was so much fun and Natalie was glowing.  Pat + Nat cannot wait to be parents, and I cannot wait to become an Aunt!!

I’m only about 1/2 way done editing and will have more to show soon, but here is one of my favorites so far! 

This week is INsanely busy!  Natalie’s baby shower, that I’m planning, is Tuesday evening.  Monday + Tuesday will be full of prepping food + decorations.  I can’t wait!  Also, late Monday night, Eric + Kelsey arrive in Ft. Collins.  Not for a vacation, but to LIVE here!!  Eric is a good friend of ours from Charlotte.  He was the one that let me run my granola bar business out of his house!  I wasn’t able to run it out of ours, with the dogs.  Right before we moved to Colorado, Eric + Kelsey met and started dating.  The 4 of us hung out, practically everyday before we left.  Anxiously awaiting their arrival!

Okay…one more photo…

Hope you have a productive Monday!

Ashley

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50% work 50% play 100% fun

Before I get to Thursday, let’s talk about Wednesday.  My mom and I finally made it to see Bridesmaids.  Pretty hilarious!  Nice 2 hours of relaxing + laughing.  We also hit up the [...]]]> Today we worked our hinnies off!  But we also had a fun + relaxing morning. 

50% work 50% play 100% fun

Before I get to Thursday, let’s talk about Wednesday.  My mom and I finally made it to see Bridesmaids.  Pretty hilarious!  Nice 2 hours of relaxing + laughing.  We also hit up the J.Crew outlet.  All of the women’s clothes were 40% off and then an extra 15% off because my mom is a teacher.  It was like shopping at J.Crew with Target prices!!!  Dangerous!  I picked up a handful of things I love.  A few pairs of shorts [which is miraculous], a few really comfy tops [one pictured below], 2 button downs and maybe one or two more things.  It was fun to have a little clothing-retail therapy, instead of Lowes, Home Depot, and Bed Bath + Beyond.  I think I’ve only bought about 2 articles of clothing since November!

For dinner, we headed to one of our favorite spots, Tasty Harmony.  I’ve talked about this restaurant pretty frequently.  It’s veggie/vegan/GF friendly, with huge portions + delicious, creative, seasonal food!

Super cute inside.  Casual + comfortable.  Haven’t had a bad meal yet!

I think I told my mom about their nachos every single day since we got back to Colorado.  I was anxious for her to try them with the cashew cheeze sauce!  [The white sauce below is vegan sour cream.  The cashew cheeze was on the side]  I like these more than real cheese nachos!

Cashew cheeze drizzled all over top.  The three of us chowed down on this plate!

We were so busy anticipating our food, that I forgot to photograph it.  My mom got their mashed potatoes and lightly fried mock “chicken.”  The “chicken” is house made seitan.  Before going GF, I had a few bites of this and it was outstanding.  My mom said she was a little nervous about it, but she absolutely loved it.  Raved about it, in fact!  Their gravy is also amazing.  mmmmm

Chris got the tempeh reuben + mashed taters with gravy.  I got the “yogi plate”, which is a millet + quinoa mix, steamed greens [chard that night], + grilled tofu.  It also comes with vegan ceaser dressing that is out of this world delish.  The tofu is probably the best I’ve had.  Tofu texture perfection!

Clean plate club!

This morning, we were up bright and early.  We took a lovely walk through my neighborhood and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.  Then we went for a scenic drive through the foothills.  We drove all along Horsetooth Reservoir, which I had never even done before.

The water was a vibrant blue.

Photo-op time!

Cutie mom with the wind in her hair.

New shorts!

I’m so glad we waited until Thursday for our touristy day.  It was the best day of weather yet!

We drove along the reservoir and got out a few times for photos and fresh air.

Self timer action!  I set the camera up on a park grill.

A half eye blink, ice cream shoveling photo.  We stopped at the famous Kilwin’s for some deelicious ice cream.  I got dulche de leche.  I have a thing for caramel. 

Don’t let my pasty legs blind you.

We walked around Old Town + Downtown, and I showed my mom my favorite shops.  She always loves seeing the places I’m always talking about.

We got back to the house around 3pm and then it was go-time.  My mom said she wanted closure on the house, so she could feel like we accomplished a lot when she left.  Believe me, even before all we did today, we accomplished A FREAKING TON.

The porch was a disaster.  We started there are really organized and consolidated.  After we build a new shed, we’ll be able to move everything on the porch into that.  Then, maybe in the fall or next summer, we’ll be completely remodeling this porch. 

The plastic corrugated “windows” have got to go.  We’re going to make it all open air, but keep the columns + ceiling and put in a new floor.

Once the porch was organized, then we were able to sift through everything in the house, consolidate + move more to the porch.  When I say sift through everything in the house, I mean sift through everything in the house.  We were on a roll!!

Wait until you see the photos tomorrow!

This room has exploded about 18 times now.  I think we finally made a LOT of progress with it today. 

Sitting at the dining room table right now and looking around, I’m in shock.  I cannot believe what we were able to get done today.  We even made our last Lowes + Target run at 9pm tonight. 

Nothing can stop us!!

Except some much needed sleep.  My mom leaves tomorrow mid-morning.  I got to spend one full week with my Ohio family and two full weeks with my mom.  I wish we could do this more often, but I’m so thankful that we’re able to do it at all! 

Major {love + hugs} to the most amazing mom + dad.  Ever.

Gooooooooooodnight.

Ashley

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My mom was curious to try puffed amaranth cereal so I popped some for us to share.  She added hers to a bowl of EnviroKidz gluten free peanut butter cereal and liked it.  She tried a spoonful plain and wasn’t as big of a fan.  It is very plain tasting but [...]]]> This morning was poppin’!

My mom was curious to try puffed amaranth cereal so I popped some for us to share.  She added hers to a bowl of EnviroKidz gluten free peanut butter cereal and liked it.  She tried a spoonful plain and wasn’t as big of a fan.  It is very plain tasting but I just love the texture and have so much fun with the mix-ins.

I picked up a variety of freeze dried, no sweetener added, fruit recently and thought it would be an awesome addition for this cereal.  Kind of a fun play off of fruity pebbles.  Only quite a bit healthier. 

In the bowl were bananas, strawberries, blueberries + mango.  It added so much delicious, fruity crunch!

I also topped it with a glob of PB and almonds.

Then came the almond milk, with a little honey whisked in.

Here you can check out my popped amaranth tutorial.  I also have a few more puffmaranth recipes on my recipe page.  Such a fun change of pace for breakfast. 

Pouring in the milk is a bit dangerous.  It creates a wave in the bowl.  There is always some spillage.

After breakfast, we relaxed around the house, which was so nice.  I did manage to put in another light fixture today though.  This one took quite a bit longer, and was definitely frustrating.  But it’s up and looks great!  The new fixture is in the bathroom.  We’re just adding a few little touches in there, to make it a little more “us.”  We eventually want to remodel the bathroom, but that won’t be happening for some time.

Kenna is a bed hog.

And Dakota wasn’t happy about it.  She’s really prissy and will rarely lie on the hardwood floors.

We finally saw the sun today, but it was extremely windy!  It was only in the mid 60’s but the rest of the week is looking much better.  We drove around through town and had to stop by my mom + dad’s very first house!  My dad moved to Ft. Collins while dating my mom.  He bought this house, and after they got engaged she moved to Colorado with him.  To make a long story short, the real estate [dad’s biz] was tanking and my mom couldn’t get a speech teaching job without a masters, so they moved back a year later.  I can’t believe our first house was in the same town!  There are some other coincidences about our relationships.  We started dating the same year + month in college as my parents and my mom and I are both slightly older than the husbands.  We also both got married the same amount of years into the relationship.  Pretty funny!

We took my mom to one of our favorite spots, Equinox Brewing.  My mom’s not a beer fan really at all, but gave the golden ale a try.  She needed something a bit fruitier.

I of course had a half pint of the brown ale.  mmmm

After the brewery, we hit up another brewery, but for food!  This is actually a brand new restaurant at Fort Collins Brewery.  It’s called Gravity 1020.  When I heard a new “farm to fork” restaurant was coming to Ft. Collins, I could hardly wait.  There are a ton of restaurants in Fort Collins, but so far, only a handful that I really like.

I checked out the menu ahead of time and called to ask about gluten free/vegetarian options.  The menu was much smaller than I had anticipated with what looked like only one veggie option.  It was for a parmesan veggie risotto that sounded fabulous, but I wanted to make sure it was something I could eat.  When I called to ask about it, they informed me that it was made with chicken broth, not veggie broth.  I was completely shocked about this.  I bet quite a lot of people order this dish, thinking it’s vegetarian!

It was a 7 entree menu + 2 sandwiches, with no vegetarian options.  For a new restaurant, featuring local/organic fare, I was quite disappointed.  The kind employee on the phone informed me there was a cremini mushroom sandwich that they could most likely serve to me without the bread on salad, but when we arrived, I found out that wouldn’t be possible.

I still kept a positive attitude and searched the menu a bit more.  Out of 3 salads, only 1 was veggie.  I ordered the baby romaine salad with pistachios + oranges.  I also ordered the daily soup special, which was cream of mushroom [made with veggie broth].

The consistency was smooth and it was extremely flavorful.  The melted cheese on top and cremini mushrooms were delicious.  The only thing I didn’t like was that it was quite spicy.  I don’t think the spice was needed at all.  The flavors were perfect and the spiciness interrupted them.

Chris ordered the fish and chips, which he said were really good.  The orange fennel slaw was just okay. 

My salad came out and looked delicious.  The portion was quite large, which you seldom find for a salad!  The lettuce was outstanding.  I know that’s weird to say, but it was the softest, fluffiest lettuce you’ve ever eaten.

It was served with a house made vinaigrette, that was infused with their pomegranate wheat beer. [I realize beer is not gluten free, but for some reason my stomach has been tolerating beer fine.  Very odd.] The dressing was really tasty.  Not too oily and a nice mellow fruity flavor.  The salad came with pomegranate seeds, and fresh local goat cheese, which were for some reason not mentioned on the menu.  I’m not complaining about local goat cheese, as it was amazing.  However, if you’re not a fan of goat cheese or pom seeds, it would be a surprise when the salad is set in front of you.  The main components, oranges + pistachios, were sparse.  Overall, I loved the salad, but wanted more pistachios.

My mom ordered the same salad + local pork slider appetizer.  She said her first bite, with just the pork, was amazing.  They infuse one of their beers into the sauce.  However, the second bite set her mouth on fire.  Something in the slaw was overwhelmingly spicy.  There was absolutely no mention of this being a spicy dish on the menu.  Major bummer.  She ordered the polenta “fries” appetizer instead, which she said were good.

When dining out and spending good money, I definitely really analyze the meal.  Overall, I was just a bit surprised.  I think the biggest shortcomings were the small number of entrees, no vegetarian entree option[s], and not being specific enough with menu descriptions.  It’s extremely common around here, especially new restaurants featuring local foods, to have a handful of vegetarian options [if not vegan], and a lot of times a gluten free menu.  I know their menu will be changing frequently, with what’s in season, so I’m hoping they might expand it a bit too.  We’ll see!  The quality of the food was definitely top notch and the presentation was great.   

Lights out!

Ashley

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