Pat Crocker's Original

Seasonal Recipes

Chicken-Stuffed Peppers

Makes 4 stuffed peppers

• 4 red bell peppers
• 1-1/2 cups cooked chopped chicken
• 1 cup chopped kale or spinach
• 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, steel-cut oats, or wild-rice
• 3/4 cup chopped feta cheese or shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Run a paring knife around the stem of each pepper and remove and discard it. Scoop out the ribs and seeds and discard. Arrange peppers upright on baking sheet.
3. Combine chicken, kale, quinoa, and cheese in a bowl, mix well. Divide the mixture into four portions and spoon into the cavities of the peppers. 

Egg Popovers

Makes 12 popovers

• 1/4 cup Canna-Ghee
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach, fresh or thawed if frozen
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 6 large eggs
• 2  tablespoons plain non-dairy milk
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180° C). Line a 12-well muffin tin with paper cups or lightly oil.
2. Heat Canna-Ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute or until wilted. Remove skillet from heat, stir in tomato and set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, and salt in a large bowl. Scrape in sautéed vegetables from skillet and stir with a fork to mix ingredients evenly throughout.
4. Using a 1/4-cup measure or ladle, spoon mixture into muffin tin wells. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until eggs are firm.

Roasted Vegetables

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 1 small butternut squash, cored and peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 beets, cut into wedges
• 2 onions, quartered
• 2 cups mini or fingerling potatoes or potato wedges
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin avocado oil
• sea salt
• 1 red pepper, halved and seeded
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup cubed feta cheese
• fresh rosemary sprigs, optional
   

1. Preheat oven to 400° F /200° C. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine squash, carrots, beets, onions and potatoes. Sprinkle oil and salt over and toss to coat. Spread the vegetables in a single layer over one or two baking sheets. Lay the two pepper halves, cut side down on one of the baking sheets.

3. Roast in preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring the vegetables and turning the peppers over once. Stir rosemary and garlic into one sheet of vegetables and stir vegetables on the other sheet. Roast for another 20 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are browned and tender.

4. Cut roasted peppers into strips and combine with mixed vegetables in a large bowl. Add feta cheese and toss to mix. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with rosemary sprigs if using.

Baked Whitefish with Basil

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup ½-inch diced parsnips
• 1 cup ½-inch diced potatoes
• 1 cup ½-inch diced turnips or rutabaga
• ¼ cup Basil and Walnut Pesto (recipe follows)
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 lb whitefish fillet, such as trout, perch or halibut
• ½ lemon
• sea salt and pepper
    

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a baking dish, combine carrots, parsnips, potatoes and turnips. Toss with pesto, adding more olive oil if necessary to coat. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, squeeze lemon juice over fish and arrange basil leaves over the top. Season with salt and pepper. Stir vegetables in the baking pan and place fish over top. Drizzle fish with 2 tablespoons oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Basil and Walnut Pesto 

Makes 2 cups

Strip tender stems and leaves from the coarser basil stalks. Rinse and pat dry using a towel before lightly packing into a dry measuring cup.

• 1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces
• 1 head Roasted Garlic or 4 cloves raw garlic
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves and tender stems
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems
• ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• about 1 cup extra-virgin oil (see above)