1 cup water
1/2 cup white rice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground sirloin
1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
4-6  cubanelle peppers, halved lengthwise/seeded
1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the ground sirloin, and cook until it begins to brown, and is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat and stir in 1 can of tomato sauce along with the garlic salt, kosher salt, pepper, and green onions. Bring to a simmer, and keep warm. When the rice is ready, stir it into the meat mixture.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4. Stuff the pepper halves with the meat and rice mixture, rounding the tops. Place the stuffed peppers into a 9×13 inch baking dish/oil lightly to avoid sticking. Stir the remaining can of tomato sauce together with the parsley, brown sugar, basil, and oregano. Spoon this sauce over the peppers.

5. Bake the peppers in the preheated oven for one hour until they are hot and beginning to brown. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese to serve.

Sage Hill Quiche

About 1 gallon uncooked Swiss Chard, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 onion or 1/2 bunch leeks, chopped
3 whole yard eggs (free range)
1 ½ c grated Swiss or Mozzarella
½ t sea salt
Freshly ground pepper-corns to taste
1/2 tsp each-Basil and Oregano (fresh or dried)Steam greens, squash, or a combination with onions until tender. Set aside to cool slightly, preheat oven to 375*Beat eggs thoroughly then add milk, grated cheese, salt, pepper, and herbs.

Blend in steamed vegetables and mix together well.
Pour into medium-sized oiled casserole dish and bake, covered, until set – approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Top with any favorites such as; Dill, cilantro or arugula.

Cheese and Carrot Tea Sandwiches

1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 tbsp mayonnaise
8 slices of whole wheat bread
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
A pinch of dill

In a bowl, toss the carrots and cheese
Divide and spread the mayo on the bread slices
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dill
Top with cheese and carrot mix
Put sandwiches together and trim off the crust

Cut into squares, or any shape you like.

Black Olive and Rosemary Scones
These add punch to a light lunch.

3 cups all purpose flour ( I use Coconut flour )
1 Tablespoon pure cane sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups real butter-chilled and cut into small slices
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut into thirds crosswise
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon cold water-for egg wash
2 teaspoons course sea salt

Preheat oven to 400*-Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, soda, baking powder, and salt.
With your fingers, blend the butter into the flour mix until it is coarse, like cornmeal.

Stir in olives, rosemary and lemon zest.
Form a well in the center and add buttermilk.
With a fork, mix until blended well.

Gather the dough into a ball and divide in half.

On a lightly floured board roll into 2 circles1/2 inch thick. Brush each circle with the egg wash and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the sea salt. With a sharp knife, cut each circle into 6 triangle-shaped wedges.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 12 scones.
PS: These are delicious served with a Tomato Tapenda.

Ricotta Griddle Cakes
Serves 4-easy to double recipe

1/2 cake of compressed yeast
2-1/4 cups Rice or Almond milk
1-3/4 cups Ricotta-cheese
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Sea salt
2 tablespoons Grape seed oil for frying

Dissolve the yeast in 3 tablespoons of the milk.

Put the Ricotta in a bowl and gradually add the remaining milk, stirring constantly.

Stir in enough flour to make a smooth paste.
Mix in the yeast and add salt to taste

Heat a griddle pan then add a small amount of oil.
Pour in 2 tablespoons of the mixture and fry until golden brown on both sides-turning once.

Remove from the pan and keep hot while frying remaining cakes.

* These are good served with a meal or with an assortment of cold meats.

Mushroom Magic

9 ounces of cream cheese softened (I use goat cheese)
1/4 pound of butter-softened
1-1/2 cups of flour
1 large onion-minced
1/2 pound of mushrooms-minced
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons thyme
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup sour cream (I use Greek Yogurt)

Combine cheese, butter, and flour to form dough, cream together and chill for 1 hour.

Sauté onion and mushrooms in butter.

Add remaining ingredients, except sour cream, and cook until thickened.

Stir in sour cream.

Divide dough in half and roll each half thinly. Cut into small rounds (2 to 3 “) and place 1 teaspoonful of mixture on each round-fold over and seal. (May be frozen at this point to cook later)

Pre-heat oven to 450*

Prick each round with a sharp knife point. Brush each round with a mixture of one egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon of water.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 4 dozen

2 pounds cauliflower florets , riced
1 egg , beaten
1/3 cup soft goat cheese (chevre)
1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon fresh or dried basil
sea salt, fresh ground black-pepper, a shake of cayenne

You can adjust all seasoning to your taste…I like a lot of seasoning!

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. If using fresh cauliflower, fill a large pot over medium heat with an inch of water. Fit a steamer basket into the pot, then pour the raw cauliflower into the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil and cover the pot, steaming the cauliflower until it is very tender and can be pierced with a fork.

If using frozen cauliflower, be sure to thaw it completely before getting started, then continue with the following steps.

Pour the completely thawed, or freshly steamed, cauliflower into a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade. (You may have to do this in batches if you have a smaller food processor.) Process until a rice-like texture is created. If you bought frozen riced cauliflower, you can skip this step and proceed to the next one.

Transfer the “rice” to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! (Be careful if your cauliflower is still hot– you may want to let it cool before handling.) A lot of extra liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust.

In a large bowl, mix up the squeezed-out rice, egg, goat cheese, and spices. (Don’t be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.) It won’t be like any pizza dough you’ve ever worked with, but don’t worry– it’ll hold together!

Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It’s important that it’s lined with parchment paper, or it will stick.) Keep the dough about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick, and make the edges a little higher for a “crust” effect, if you like.

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400F, until dry and golden. Use the parchment paper to flip the crust over, and bake again until the other side is nice and dry, about 10 to 15 more minutes.

Add your favorite pizza toppings to the crust, such as sauce and cheese, greens, black olives, mushrooms etc…..then return the pizza to the 400F oven. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Slice and serve warm.

I do a full veggie topping and also one with shredded chicken for meat lovers….

Navy Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

15 ounces Organic Navy Beans, 1 can, drained
12 ounce roasted red peppers, drained, reserve 1/4 cup liquid
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup scallion greens, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemaryPlace all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Serve with Vegetable Chips, Pita Bread or Vegetable sticks.Serves 6Prep Time-10 min.

Hot Herbed Turkey Sandwiches

6 slices of buttered whole-wheat bread
Sliced cold, cooked turkey
6 slices Swiss cheese
6 slices crisp bacon
6 large hard-cooked eggs, sliced
Salt to taste ( real or pink salt)
Freshly ground black pepper
Herbed Mayonnaise (Sage Hill Farms own recipe)
Have all ingredients cold.

Place on each slice of buttered bread in the order listed.
Turkey, cheese, bacon, 1 sliced hard cooked egg.

Sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper.
Top each with 1 TBSP Herbed Mayonnaise.

Brown under the broiler

Serve piping hot.

Herbed Mayonnaise

Mix 1/2 cup real mayonnaise with 1/2 tsp Sage Hill Farms Poultry seasoning
1 TBSP capers
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
( makes 1-3/4 cups-store in the frig.)

Tomato Tapenade

1/4 cup(packed) sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup (packed ) fresh basil or parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic-minced
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Chopped fresh basil or parsley for garnish

Place the tomatoes in a bowl and cover with boiling water.

Let stand 15 minutes or until soft.

Drain well and transfer to a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade.

Add olives, basil, worcestershire, anchovy and oil.

Puree to form a fairly smooth paste, scraping down the sides of the container frequently, stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a small bowl for serving and garnish with basil or parsley…or both.

Makes about 3/4 of a cup.

Roasted Olives

2 cups assorted brine-cured olives-rinsed/drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of freshly ground black-pepper
2 bay leaves
3 rosemary sprigs
4 teaspoons orange zest

Pre-heat oven to 400*

Stir all ingredients in an 8-inch square baking dish.

Cover with foil; bake until fragrant and heated through, 20 to 30 minutes.

These make a great side dish for pizza, most Italian meals and delicious with many egg recipes.

Almond Chicken Puffs

1-1/2 cups cooked chicken-finely chopped
1/3 cup toasted almonds-chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons seasoned salt (a blend of salt, pepper, dash of cayenne and paprika)
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon parsley-chopped fine (or dried)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Mix chicken and almonds together in a saucepan, combine broth, oil, seasoned salt, celery seed, parsley and Worcestershire and bring to a boil.

Whisk in flour and cook over low heat, beating until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a smooth dough.

Remove pan from heat; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in chicken and almonds.

Drop by teaspoonful onto a baking sheet.

Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Serve hot.

Makes about 80 puffs.

Black Eyed Pea-Patties

2 tsp finely grated onion
2 tsp lemon juice
A good shake of cayenne pepper ( not too much )
2 tsp melted butter
2 cups mashed Black Eyed peas
2 eggs ( reserve I of the egg whites )
Flour

Mix onion, lemon juice, cayenne, butter , eggs, and peas (don’t over mix)
Blend in 2 Tbsp of flour
Make into patties-roll in egg white and then in cracker or bread crumbs

Fry in a small amount of cooking oil (grape-seed)

Make sure the oil is hot and cook only until patties are lightly browned…

Good with hot pepper jelly or pickle relish

Also good with Brunch—cottage fried potatoes and scrambled eggs