Peppers are really growing well in my garden. They were piling up in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator until I made a huge crock of fermented peppers. They should be ready this week and I can’t wait to try them. I’ll share that recipe if it turns out well.

As peppers start piling up again, I’ll be stuffing a few.

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
1 lb. ground meat (chicken, turkey or beef)
1/2 c. quinoa, uncooked
1-1/4 c. chicken stock, divided
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2-3 large peppers for stuffing (or 4-6 small)
1 c. shredded cheese

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground meat and spices. Break up the meat and cook until brown.

Add quinoa, tomato sauce, 1 cup stock and cilantro. Stir well and let simmer on for for 15 minutes.
Clean the peppers and slice in half, removing the seeds. Fill the halves with the stuffing and place in an oven-safe dish with sides. Pour remaining stock into the dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and sprinkle the peppers with cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

Greek Stuffed Peppers
2 large bell peppers
1/2 lb. ground chicken
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. marinated artichokes, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 c. cooked quinoa
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Clean peppers, remove seeds and slice in half vertically. Cook pepper in baking dish in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Set aside.

While those peppers cook, heat olive oil and cook chicken until done. Stir in all other ingredients except the cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add a shallow layer of water to the baking dish with the peppers. Spoon stuffing into each pepper, then top with mozzarella cheese. Return peppers to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Serve with pita bread, tzatziki sauce, hummus and garlic-stuffed Greek olives.

I planted several tomatillo plants this year. With the rain and the heat, they are really producing. I’ve eaten them raw in salads, but prefer to roast them and use in salsa.

Tomatillo Salsa
8-10 tomatillos, halved or quartered
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
4 jalapeño peppers, halved
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 lime, juiced
1 bunch cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

Spread the vegetables on a sheet pan. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and cumin. Roast in a 375-degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables brown on the edges.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cooled, process with lime juice and cilantro until chunky.

Taste and add salt or pepper if needed. The salsa keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Now that you have the salsa, it’s great with chips and over scrambled eggs. It’s also good in the following dish.

Mushroom Chicken Enchiladas
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
3 c. chicken broth
8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. sour cream
1/4 c. tomatillo salsa
12 8-inch flour tortillas
1 c. mild onion, chopped
4 c. cooked chicken, shredded
16 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

To create the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour, cooking for 1 minute. Gradually add broth and cook for 5 more minutes, until thick. Add cream cheese until melted and stir in sour cream and salsa. Let cool.

Spread 2 tablespoons of Monterey Jack cheese down the center of a tortilla. Add about 1/4 c. chicken, a little onion, 1 tablespoon of spinach, a few mushroom slices and 2 tablespoons of the cooled sauce. Roll the tortilla and place the seam down in a prepared baking dish.

Repeat until all of the tortillas are filled. Spoon remaining sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Bake in a 425-degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

I enjoyed the sound of rain yesterday morning at 2:30 a.m. Yes, the thunderstorm woke me, but I didn’t immediately worry about excess moisture damaging the grapes. That’s because the last of the grapes were harvested two days before.

In fact, I feel that I can now enjoy what is left of summer. When you only grow one crop that takes most of your time and attention from February to October, and significant attention from March to August, it is a huge relief when the harvest is complete. There’s still work to be done, mostly taking care of the vines to support next year’s growth, but that effort is greatly reduced. What will I do with my spare time? I’ll think of something.

Avocado Slaw with Shrimp or Chicken
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. water
3 green onions, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 lime, juiced
1/2 c. Greek yogurt
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined or
1 lb. chicken, skinless and cubed
1 tsp. each chili powder, cumin and oregano
2 tsp. olive oil
3 c. cabbage, shredded
2 avocados, sliced
Pulse olive oil, water, onions, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and yogurt until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper. Set aside.
Toss chicken or shrimp in spices. Cook in olive oil until chicken is cooked through or the shrimp is pink. Let cool.

Toss cabbage and avocados with half of the sauce.

Serve the slaw with the chicken or shrimp on top. Drizzle extra sauce over all and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. The slaw and meat are also great in tortillas with crumbled cheese.

Watermelon, Jicama and Cucumber Salad
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. honey
1 pinch each Kosher salt and black pepper
2 c. watermelon, removed from rind and cubed
2 c. jicama, peeled and cubed
1 small cucumbers, seeded and cubed
1/4 c. red onion, thinly sliced
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.
Add watermelon, jicama, cucumber and red onions. Toss to coat. Serve with crumbled feta and cilantro on top.

In my other life, I worked in North Arlington in an office building across the street from a Mexican restaurant named Mercado Juarez. The restaurant was in a large warehouse. It allowed for a huge dining room as well as a large area that was set up to look like an outdoor market in Mexico. The line for those waiting to be seated usually snaked through the market area allowing for shopping and entertainment while waiting.

However, it was the smell of grilling meat that brought customers into the place. A smell so intense that it permeated your clothing and soaked into your hair. After having lunch in that restaurant, the smell was with you all day. And when you couldn’t leave for lunch, you knew exactly where others went just by the smell of grilled meat.

It’s strange, the things you remember, but my favorite dish from Mercado Juarez was the Chicken Tampico. I was thinking about it as I wondered what to do with peppers, zucchini and tomatoes from the garden. I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts and lemons…so I made my version of the tasty dish.

Chicken Tampico
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 lemons, juiced, divided
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, julienne sliced
2 mild chile peppers, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 zucchini squash, halved and sliced
1 pint porter tomatoes, halved
1 tsp. Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Create a marinade for the chicken by combining mayonnaise and the juice from 1 lemon with a pinch of salt and pepper. Coat the chicken breasts with the mayonnaise mixture and marinate for at least an hour.

Grill breasts on a hot grill, about three minutes on each side. Throw away remaining marinade. Remove breasts from the grill and reserve.

Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and peppers until tender. Add garlic, zucchini and tomatoes. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Add grilled chicken, turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Now’s a good time to start a pot of rice. When the chicken is cooked through, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the ingredients in the skillet. Adjust seasonings and serve over the cooked rice.

The smoked flavors from the grilled chicken permeated the dish, enhancing the vegetables. The splash of lemon juice at the end added brightness to the meal.

The vineyard is stressed this year with too much over-wintering pests, too much rain and too many birds. We still have fruit, but with two weeks until harvest, I’m scrambling to keep the birds from eating more grapes.

I bought four plastic owls that David rigged on posts. Then I strategically zip-tied them throughout the vineyard to the trellis posts. This morning I saw several birds on a wire watching the owls. I wonder if they are fooled.

I’ve been pouring through cookbooks looking for ideas for a Mexican-themed dinner. I ran across some quick and easy recipes that are worth a try.

Egg Enchiladas
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
3 8-oz cans tomato sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
8 eggs
1/4 c. half-and-half
1 small can chopped green chiles
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. butter
6 corn tortillas
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat and sauté onion and green pepper. Add tomato sauce and chili powder. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Beat eggs lightly with half-and-half. Add chiles, salt and pepper. In a separate frying pan, heat butter over medium-low heat. Add egg mixture and cook until the egg are set.

Dip each tortilla in hot tomato sauce until soft. Then spoon a sixth of the eggs down the center. Roll up and place seam side down in a shallow baking dish. Continue the process with the remaining tortillas and eggs.

Reheat remaining sauce and pour over top of rolled tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Place under broiler and heat until the cheee melts.

Zucchini with Corn and Peppers
3 Tbsp. butter
2-1/2 lbs. zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 10-oz package frozen corn, or the equivalent of fresh kernels
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large frying pan over high heat, melt butter and add zucchini, corn, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are tender-crisp. Add salt and pepper as needed.