Summer salads are mostly fresh greens and veggies from the garden (tomatoes and cucumbers mostly) tossed with either Miracle whip (DH's favorite) or a light vinagrette.

I haven't made stuffed peppers in forever - it was just ground meat and rice if I remember correctly. A little salt and pepper and maybe some sauteed onion?

Pasta shells - I mix a container of lowfat ricotta cheese with two egg whites, chopped fresh spinach (as much as you have on hand, or a few cups), chopped onion, a little minced garlic, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. I have also added some mozarella cheese to this. Spoon into the shells (cooked according to package directions) and arrange in a sprayed dish. Pour your favorite tomato sauce to coat. DH likes a meatier shell, so I stuff those with meatballs then coat with sauce as above.

Bake in 350 oven until sauce starts to bubble. Top with shredded cheese and a sprinkling of parmesan, and bake until cheese is melted.

You can freeze, defrost overnight in fridge and bake. Just don't add the shredded cheese until you bake it.

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Lori,

This is a recipe that I have been making for over 20 years. It was given to me by a lovely lady that lived next door to us. She was from Argentina and use to make some very interesting dishes. This is the recipe as she gave it to me, but I sometimes make adjustments to the various seasonings.

Home Cookin 4.7 Chapter: RECIPES FROM THIBEAULT'S TABLE

Julia's Stuffed Peppers
=======================

Meat Filling

2 lbs combination of Veal, Pork, Beef,
1 small onion, finely chopped
bread soaked in milk
2 eggs
Garlic powder
paprika
nutmeg
oregano
fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper

6 or 8 Hungarian Peppers (depending on size)

Sauce

1 small onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 Cans tomatoes
bay leaf
pepper
oregano
salt and pepper
. Mix together all ingredients and stuff into long Hungarian Peppers

Form remaining meat into small meatballs

Sauce

Saute onions and garlic in olive until soft. Add tomatoes and seasonings
and bring to a boil. Add stuffed peppers and meatballs and lower heat to a
simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.

To thicken sauce:

Heat some oil in a small skillet and add some flour. (Roux) Cook stirring
until flour is lightly browned. This with some chicken broth and add to
sauce to thicken.

Serve with mashed potatoes or with noodles.

I've made stuffed peppers the traditional way with ground meat and rice, but here's our family's favorite filling. Sorry, but I don't have an exact recipe.

Boil 6-8 potatoes and 1/2 onion chopped in just enough water to cover. When the potatoes are done, mash them with butter, milk or cream, and a little garlic. Add a little diced ham. Salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the bell peppers lengthwise and pre-cook in the microwave or steam in a skillet with a little water.
The peppers should be just cooked not mushy.

Spoon the potato filling into the peppers and top with sharp cheddar cheese and bread crumbs. Bake 20 to 30 minutes in a pre-heated 350 oven.
You can leave out the ham if you want this totally vegetarian. Freeze before baking for a cook ahead meal. I've taken them camping and finish them off by steaming in a skillet. Terri

The single best salad I have run into in years is commonly made in the morning in Italy to be eaten at the main meal at 1 PM. It needs a few hours at room temp to make itself.
Cut good sweet tomatoes into chunks and salt them in a bowl. Finely mince or press a clove of garlic and add it. Take a handful of basil leaves, lay them together and roll up. Slice very thin shreds with a knife. Throw that into the bowl. Stir with a fork and drizzle generously with good olive oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave at room temp until mealtime. Keep leftovers in the fridge.
Great with good crunchy bread.
The leftovers can be made into other things, too.
The sum of the whole far exceeds its parts.

I put tabbhouleh in my stuffed peppers- combines the summer salad with the stuffed pepper thing.