Baked Bell Peppers

I LOVE this recipe. A super flavorful mix of sweet and a mild spicy. Takes a lot of ingredients and some time (it does get much quicker the second, etc time you make it...), but it's totally worth it! 

I've made it a handful of times for different people and have always gotten the same response (which usually consists of, "I figured since you're vegetarian, dinner would be bland. And I've had stuffed peppers before and they ARE bland. But these are incredible") and requests for seconds. It's awesome (the actual recipe AND the compliments). You'll make insta-friends. Money-back guarantee - I'll pay for your groceries if you don't

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

pinch of saffron

1 1/3 cups brown rice

6 tbsp pine nuts

1 onion, finely chopped (I've never actually put an onion in mine... the boy's "sensitive to onions" ;)

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 cup cooked chickpeas, drained

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried apricots, soaked in water, drained and chopped

1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

4 large red bell peppers, halved and deseeded, stalks in tact

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

salt and freshly ground pepper

Smoked Almond Dukkah (p.s. who in the world knows what dukkah is??)

1/4 cup smoked almonds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

salt and freshly cracked pepper

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.

2. Gently heat the vegetable broth in a pan and infuse the saffron in it for 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the broth has been absorbed

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet, add the pine nuts, and cook over a low heat until golden; remove and set aside.

4. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in the pan, add the onion, and cook until lightly golden. Add the ground coriander, cumin, chickpeas, raisins and apricots and cook for 1 minute.

5. Stir in the rice and chopped parsley and season to taste

6. Fill the pepper halves with the prepared pilau (rice mixture) and place in a large roasting pan

7. Mix together the vinegar, honey and 1/2 cup of water, then pour that mixture into the base of the roasting pan (I usually do this while the rice is cooking just to save on time)

8. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes

9. For the smoked almond dukkah: heat a dry skillet and, when hot, add the almonds and seeds and toast for 30 seconds, stirring all the time. Transfer to a mortar and crush with a pestle, but not too finely, and season (and I do this while the peppers are cooking just to save on time)

10. When the peppers are cooked, remove to four serving plates, sprinkle liberally with the dukkah, whisk the pan cooking juices and pour over the peppers.

The Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant

So, you know it's bad when even a vegetarian is afraid to go into an all-vegetarian restaurant. I have to be honest here, good veggie restaurants are very very few and far between.

I can literally count on one hand the ones I've been to that I would not only go back, but recommend to non-vegetarians.

The Leaf is at the top of that list. The first time I went in (yes, not only am I recommending it... I've since been there MULTIPLE times), I was very hesitant. My now husband took me there on a date - so proud to prove that he can take care of me because he knew where this restaurant was where I could eat anything on the menu. (side note - I've been on a lot of these types of dates in the past and 9 out of 10 times, I actually prefer to go to any old restaurant and just choose the one veggie item they have... makes ordering MUCH easier and it's usually better food...but it IS cute that the guys think they're doing me a huge favor...)

Anyway, I was immediately impressed by the decor. It didn't look like most vegetarian places - where you can tell that they want it to look organic and natural...and it usually ends up looking like you'll be eating dinner in a barn.

The Leaf was very classy. And the menu had some really fun items on it - nothing too interesting, which is a great thing for meat-eaters visiting. People are afraid of vegetarian restaurants. They always feel so foreign. Shoot - I'm afraid of vegetarian restaurants, in case I haven't made that point obvious enough yet. 

The Leaf doesn't feel like that at all. And the food is excellent. I've never been unhappy with my order there.

Even the vegan - yes, vegan - desserts are tasty.

Potager Restaurant

The boy and I took an idea from one of his friends, where we schedule an evening once a month to have dinner together and ONLY talk about our relationship. We're not allowed to bring up anything that we would talk about in a day-to-day manner (have you paid that bill, how should we decorate our family room...)

Even though we've been together for a short period of time and are still considered "honeymooners," these Life Dinners have been incredible! What a great way to check in on each other and see what could be strengthened in our already awesome relationship. It's also a great time to put your defenses down. Anything goes. That's why we always try to find a place where we feel like they wouldn't be too upset if we started throwing food at each other...

Anyway, we discovered Potager in downtown Denver awhile back and try to get down there as often as possible for our life dinners because it's truly a great atmosphere and staff to set the stage for this special date.

Three things that we love about Potager:

1. The management and staff is out of this world. It's a family-owned and run restaurant and it's clear that they treat all of their employees like family. On our first visit, they had just published and were selling an anniversary book for the restaurant. We were blown away to see that they had put pictures and descriptions of each member of their staff in this book that clearly cost a bit of money.

Think about that - the turn-over rate in the average restaurant is probably less than a few months! What a commitment to highlight these people that might not even be there as soon as the booklet's published. Reading through the booklet, however, proved that their staff has no intention of leaving. It's too great of a place and they've all created a family there.

2. The menu is simple but innovative. All of their ingredients are from local farms (some even from the garden in the back of the restaurant!) They have a truly expert sense of cooking with fresh ingredients and pairing flavors. The menu changes sometimes as frequently as every month - serving only what's in its prime season. Makes it even easier to find excuses to go there regularly. 

3. Potager has a way of making it's customers feel like family, too. We're on their mailing list, so every time they change the menu, we get a mailed copy of the new one (GREAT marketing tool, by the way). We read it, drool for awhile, and then schedule a trip to Denver to try out their new fare. The intimite and casual dining room has a great feel and we're always greeted with huge smiles. Who wouldn't want to eat dinner in this type of setting?

Of course my humble opinion, but it's the best restaurant in Denver. Hands-down. You'd be foolish to think otherwise... just my humble opinion.