Sunday: June 04

This is the second week in a row that I've been on time. Or as on time as I'll ever be because I'm usually busy too Sunday night to write up a post. This week was low key and high vege. My roomate brought me three absolutely beautiful green peppers and more watermelon than I can handle. She also brought be cucumbers not too long ago that was supposed to be thrown in with the watermelon recipe, but they are currently furry and taking a nap in the dumpster.

Three peppers, three for dinner. It's too good to pass up. So I didn't. I made some improve venison stuffed peppers. I finally got to use that damn ground venison! This is a really easy, rough recipe. Like bruschetta, I'm not sure you need someone to tell you what to do here, but here's a rough guide.

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds ground beef or venison (depending on how meaty you want it)

roughly 2 cups rice

1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce plus 2T for the topping

Assorted chopped vegetables or seasonings to taste (I would suggest some Parmesan)

Toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to 350. Brown meat and drain off liquid. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and heat. Core out peppers and stand on bottom in a baking dish. Stuff peppers nearly to the brim. Top with 2T of sauce on each pepper. Top with spices, cheese, or bread crumbs if desired. Bake for 1 hour.

Next came the watermelon. I ran into the same problem last year when my friend brought me about three watermelons. I made watermelon cake, drinks, and ate it raw until I could puke. This year, I have a boyfriend to pawn some of it off on. I also have a handy gazpacho recipe that turned out much better than I expected it to. I adapted it from an about.com recipe that will be added to the bottom of this post. I didn't add the jalapeno, but I think I will if I make it again. The flavors came through very nice and clear, but the spice would have helped to offset the sweetness a bit more. I also didn't use a full onion- like I ever do- so it was a little on the sweet side. But this is fresh, unexpected, and comes together in a snap.

Ingredients:

roughly 3 cups seeded watermelon, chunked

1 onion, chopped

1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1T lemon juice

dash of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Prep all ingredients, then throw in a blender a little at a time. A blender will probably give you better results than a food processor unless you like chunks of raw onion in your meals. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

For more ideas or for the original recipe, go here: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupsstewsandchili/r/watermelongaz.htm