Can't leave well enough alone...

Here I go again. I just can't help it--part of my Bossy nature is to edit things to make them better. (This trait caused more than a few arguments between me and my brother, Biker Bossy, when we were growing up. I would try to edit his high school English papers and it was NOT a pretty scene. Anyway...) And there's been something I've wanted to blog about but held off, trying to keep my Bossy opinion to myself. But I can't any longer.

You see, my all-time favorite blogger in the WHOLE WORLD is Juliemom. If you couldn't tell, since half of my posts refer to something she said. I know, I know--someday I'll think of stuff to write on my own. But for now, I'll refer to Juliemom's blog because she is one of the BEST FRIENDS I've ever had and is like a sister to me and is wonderful and smart and creative and I love her dearly and I love reading her blog everyday 'cause when I do then it doesn't feel like she's half a world away and I want to be clear that she is TERRIFIC so if I sound a wee bit critical later you understand that it is all in LOVE. Got that? Anyway, if you read her blog, then you know about her Foodie Friday feature. I enjoy this feature--I love to read about food & discover new recipes, and these posts are full of yummy-sounding dishes with pictures to boot. However (here I go), many of her recipes feature--um, large amounts of calorically dense ingredients. So I don't end up making any of them, even though I probably could if I modified the recipe. I'm just too lazy. Well, her latest recipe--Stuffed Peppers & Tomatoes--sounded SO GOOD and featured so many wonderful ingredients and it was vegetarian. Healthy choice, right? Well, it would be, except for one thing. The olive oil. Thus far I have avoided commenting on Julie's blog about her apparent obsession with olive oil as revealed in many of her recipes. But I just can't hold it in anymore. You think Rachel Ray loves extra virgin olive oil? Move over Rachel Ray--Juliemom's in the house!


And I know olive oil has terrific health benefits--when used in moderation. However, in this recipe it called for 1 & 1/4 cup. 1 & 1/4 cup! That's 2,400 calories of fat; divide that among the 10 veggies in the recipe and that's 240 fat calories/27 grams of fat per serving. (Just for comparison, a McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 26 grams of fat.) And that's not counting the extra oil called for when tossing the potatoes with salt & pepper. Yikes!

But this recipe was worth the effort of modifying, so on Monday I made it and used a fraction of the olive oil. The results? It was DELICIOUS. It's even better the next day, and Juliemom's recommendation for feta & crusty bread was right-on. Even my carnivorous hubby enjoyed them and didn't pout at all when he learned there was no meat involved. We have a winner, folks! So for those of you who would also prefer a skinnier take on this recipe, I present to you my edited version. Kind of like an "Extreme Foodie Friday Fitness Makeover," if you will. (But no hyper host running around with a bullhorn.) My changes & comments are in italics.


Stuffed Peppers & Tomatoes, Revised Standard Version
5 medium tomatoes & peppers (any color) (the peppers, that is)
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 cup cooked rice (I rounded up here)
1 large onion chopped
1 large onion, cut into wedges (I added onion to the potatoes in the pan 'cause I love oven-roasted onions)
2-3 potatoes, cut into large chunks
3 or more garlic cloves
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh parsley minced (or cilantro) (I used basil, since I'm not a parsley fan & UB doesn't like cilantro)
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (I used Pecorino Romano since I didn't have Parmesan)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 c. water
2 TBSP tomato paste
salt & pepper


1. Cut off tops of tomatoes (keep them) and carefully scoop out flesh into a bowl (I found a melon baller is a handy tool here.)
2. Cut off tops of peppers (keep them) and remove seeds & membrane
3. Place tomatoes & peppers in a large pan and give each veg a dash of sugar
4. Take tomato flesh & puree in a blender. Pour into a medium bowl; add 2 TBSP of olive oil, rice, chopped onion, garlic, parsley/cilantro/basil, nuts, cheese, 1 tsp. salt & 1/2 tsp. pepper (or season to taste) I also added some chopped zucchini here for added bulk.
5. Stuff the vegetables evenly with this mixture, then replace tops (Juliemom, you would have been SO amused to watch me try & match each top with it's original veggie.)
6. Place potato & onion wedges in empty spots in baking dish (with the oil & salt in next step, I omitted seasoning the potatoes & onions)
7. Combine water, tomato paste, and remaining 2 TBSP oil with a little salt & pepper & pour around veggies (I upped the amount of tomato paste & water to compensate for less oil)
8. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for @ 1 & 3/4 hours (veggies should pierce easily and be slightly blackened in parts)
9. Serve with feta cheese and a crust bread to soak up the juice from your bowl

Now lest you think I'm being mean and hurting Juliemom's feelings, fear not. She's fine with this because:
1.) She knows how I am
2.) She is the queen of changing just about everything in a given recipe
3.) She, too shares things on her blog that strike her as annoying/in need of modification. Click here, here, or here to read for yourself. (And everything mentioned in those links gets a hearty "amen" from me, by the way.) However, in case any doubt should remain: