Morgan's Pineapple Sangria

In a word: delicious. In two words: summery and refreshing. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to make up a pitcher of this lovely sangria, and you'll get rave reviews whether you share with friends at a barbecue or keep it all to yourself! My friend Morgan was kind enough to share her recipe, and I'm excited to share it with you.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1 bottle white wine
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 1 orange
• 2-4 TBSP sugar
• Ginger Ale or Sprite (optional, and not pictured above)

TO MAKE

1. Combine the wine, sugar, and one cup of the juice in a pitcher.
2. Juice your citrus fruits, and cut up what remains to look pretty. Be sure to remove and toss any obvious seeds.
3. Pour in lemon/lime/orange juice into the pitcher and stir to combine. 
4. Add leftover citrus rinds.
5. Store this mixture in your refrigerator anywhere from a few hours to overnight (if possible). 
6. Add remaining one cup of pineapple juice right before serving.
7. If you like bubbles in your sangria, fill your glass about three quarters of the way up. Then pour in the Ginger Ale/Sprite to fill the rest of the glass. Voila! Bubbly sangria.

Stuffed Peppers

Summertime is here, and peppers are in season. What to do? What to do? There's always tossing them into a cold salad or a morning omelet, but when you feel like something heartier, try stuffing them full of tasty brown rice, beans, vegetables, cheese, and spices.

INGREDIENTS

- 6 large bell peppers, any color... tops and seeds removed

- 2 cups cooked brown rice

- 4 medium tomatoes, chopped

- 1 small/medium sweet onion, diced

- 6 cloves garlic, diced small

- 1 cup cheese shredded (cheddar, monterey jack, parmesan, etc.), plus a little extra

- 1/2 cup red kidney beans

- 1/2 cup black beans

- 1 TBSP dried basil

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

- 3/4 cup pasta sauce

- 1 cup vegetable broth

HOW TO PREPARE

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until lightly browned.
3. In a small bowl, combine the vegetable broth and pasta sauce.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice, tomatoes, cooked onions and garlic, cheese, beans, and spices. 
5. Arrange the peppers, hollowed side up, in a baking dish.
6. Spoon the mixture from the large bowl into the peppers.
7. Poor the sauce and broth into the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle a little extra cheese on top of the peppers.  
8. Bake peppers for 30-40 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly and the peppers are tender when poked with a fork.

Zesty Black Bean Soup

It's a challenge to make a spicy black bean soup that doesn't taste like chili! Ease up on the chili powder, as a little extra broth, break out the crock pot and get ready to enjoy a soup that works great as a main dish or a side.

Ingredients
-  1.5 pounds dried black beans rinsed and soaked overnight in water (makes approximately 9 cups once soaked)
- 2 cups corn kernels
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups tomatoes, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 TBSP chili powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 TBSP olive oil

How To Cook It
1) Put beans, corn, garlic, broth, tomatoes, and spices into your crock pot.
2) Meanwhile, heat a skillet, add the olive oil, and sauté onions until they're translucent and lightly browned.
3) Add the cooked onions to the crock pot with the other ingredients.
4) Cook the soup mixture on low for 8 hours.
5) Garnish individual bowls with your fav. homemade guacamole and fresh cilantro. Guac makes the soup smooth and creamy (not to mention extra delicious) when stirred in, so enjoy!

Salmon and Lentils

Okay, so from a vegetarian perspective this recipe could totally be Lentils and Salmon. I ate the lentils as a main dish, and had the salmon ready as a "side" for the much-loved omnivores in my life. I'm no expert when it comes to meat, but all in all this dish turned out pretty well. The original recipe is from the Good Housekeeping cookbook- I didn't have fresh tarragon on hand and used dried rosemary instead without any problems.

Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked through
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 pieces (6 ounces each) salmon fillet with skin
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1  lemon
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

How To Cook It
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2-quart saucepan, combine lentils, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain.
2) Meanwhile, grease 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish. With tweezers, remove any bones from salmon. Arrange fillets in single layer in prepared baking dish. Rub with 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bake until fish is just opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes.
3) While salmon is baking, prepare dressing: From lemon, grate 1/2 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. In small bowl, with wire whisk, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gradually whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then stir in 2 teaspoons tarragon.
4) In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in lentils, lemon peel, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and remaining 2 teaspoons tarragon. Spread lentil mixture on platter. Arrange salmon on top of lentils and spoon dressing over salmon.