Fresh Vegetables and Good Eats!

This is a peek into my fridge after one of my Bountiful Baskets pick up Saturdays!

I just love BB.  I actually get two beautiful baskets full of fresh fruits and vegetables for the price of $17.50!  No matter how many times I add it up, I never get less than $35 worth of produce, and sometimes it is much more.

This is good not only because I love to save money on my produce, but because of their choice of items I may not have tried in the past, I find myself with such lovely choices as Tamarind pods, White yams, Cactus leaves and various other kinds of wonderful surprises.

I am a fairly adventurous cook and person, so many times I HAVE tried some of the more exotic selections.  It is therefore fun for me to share my recipe ideas with those who may not have tried a daikon radish or a white yam or many of the other choices.  Oh we usually get things like carrots, rainbow carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, cucumbers, peppers and lettuce and tomatoes, but I just love those surprise things.  I also love volunteering at my site.

My site has a pick up time of 7 AM...yep, pretty early.  Volunteer time is at 6 AM...even earlier, but I don't mind.  It gets me up early and moving on every other Saturday when I volunteer at the Layton "B" site.  The other volunteers are a fun group and we all meet, unload the truck, count out and distribute the vegetables and fruits.  I also love the frequent "add on" items such as cases of tomatoes, peaches and cucumbers.  I love to can, so this works well for me.  I also freeze a lot of fresh fruits in the Summer for use in the colder months.

After our trip to Italy last Spring, I decided to use my lemons for Limoncello!  It was a fun experience, and when I compared it to the bottled version I bought here, it was absolutely amazing!

Home made jams, jellies, canned tomatoes and even limoncello are ALWAYS better than store bought.

Sometimes I "over order," and then I share my bounty with my daughter.

The boxes below are just examples of some of the lovely fruits and veggies that come into my house because of Bountiful Baskets.

This weeks basket included some gorgeous Poblano Peppers. I decided to make Stuffed Peppers using these lovely dark green jewels.  I want to share this recipe with you - my hubby says it was the "BEST EVER!"

Trust me, they were delicious!

So look for the recipe at the end of this post and by all means, ENJOY!
Ingredients:

4-5 large poblanos, roasted, seeded and skins removed
2    tablespoons butter
1 small diced onion
2 cups of cooked yellow or white rice
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 pound of mild Italian Sausage (or hot if you like!), casings removed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped Cilantro leaves (optional)

On a preheated grill or in the broiler roast your poblanos until the skins begin to blister and char.  Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5-8 minutes. Then they are easily peeled, gently split them and remove seeds and membranes.
Saute your sausage in a small frying pan, and when browned add onions and sauté til transparent.
Mix cooked rice, sausage, onions and shredded cheese with one package of Old El Paso Roasted Tomato (or other delicious ones like Chipotle) Mexican Cooking Sauce together and carefully stuff the peppers.

Place slices of Monterey Jack Cheese atop the stuffing, and sprinkle with Chipotle Panko or other Panko bread crumbs.

Place in a pre-heated 350F oven for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and heated through!

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

You won't be disappointed!