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It’s time to start thinking about planting your warm season veggies if you start them from seeds inside before bringing them outside in May.

Thinking of that just has me dreaming of garden season, picking tomatoes off the vine and Aly making salsa. Just trying to think good thoughts after this disgusting weekend weather we had.

I’m going to share some early season tomato and pepper recipes with you to put in your recipe stash until it’s time to pick them!

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SOUTHWESTERN SALAD

For the dressing

1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 jalapeño, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

For the salad

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

4 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips or strips

For the dressing: To a blender or food processor, add the avocado, red wine vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend or pulse until almost smooth; there should still be bits of cilantro. Add the oil and blend until incorporated.

For the salad: To a large bowl, add the lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, cheese, green onion, cilantro, avocado, and tortilla chips. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

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I’ve had stuffed peppers before, but never stuffed breakfast peppers until a few weeks ago. These were very good and a nice healthy start to your day!

SAUSAGE & EGG STUFFED PEPPER

6 large bell peppers (any color)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

8 oz. bulk breakfast sausage 

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 plum tomatoes, diced

1 1/2 cups cooked white or brown rice

3 cups baby spinach

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar-jack cheese

6 large eggs

Hot sauce, for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 ̊. Trim the bottoms of the bell peppers (without creating any holes) so they sit upright without tipping over. Next, cut out the tops. Remove and discard stem, then finely chop the tops; set aside. Scoop out and discard the seeds and membranes.

Place the bell peppers in a microwave-safe bowl with 1⁄2 cup water. Cover and microwave until beginning to soften, 7 to 12 minutes. Uncover and set aside until cool enough to handle. Stand up the peppers in a baking dish just large enough to hold them.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into small crumbles, until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Add the onion, garlic and the chopped bell peppers to the drippings in the skillet. Cook until starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until they break down, about 2 minutes. Return the sausage to the pan along with the rice, spinach, salt and pepper; stir until the spinach wilts. Remove from the heat and fold in the cheese.

Fill the bell peppers with the rice mixture, leaving 1⁄2 inch of space at the top. Pour 1⁄2 cup water into the baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until the filling is heated through, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully crack 1 egg into each stuffed pepper. Bake, uncovered, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve with hot sauce.

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TORTELLINI PASTA SALAD

20 oz. refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini 

2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese 

1 Tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup sliced salami

1 cup sliced black olives

1 cup thinly sliced zucchini

1 cup thinly sliced yellow or green bell pepper

1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers

1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced 

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 

Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water. Return pasta to the pot and toss with two tablespoons oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup olive oil, vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, honey, salt and pepper until combined.

Add the cooked pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, salami, olives, zucchini, bell pepper, pepperoncini, and onion to the dressing in the large bowl; toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour and up to 3 days.

Just before serving, add the basil, and stir gently to recombine all the ingredients. Garnish with more parmesan, if you like.

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UPSIDE DOWN TOMATO CORNBREAD

3 medium heirloom tomatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds total

2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

2 1/2 cups fine yellow cornmeal

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

5 green onions, thinly sliced and divided

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for serving

2 3/4 cups whole buttermilk

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 large egg

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Line two large sheet trays with 2 layers of paper towels and lay the slices on top in a single layer. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt all over both sides of the tomatoes. Set aside for 30 minutes, then pat each slice dry with a paper towel.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, place 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Place the skillet in the oven until the butter is melted and the skillet is hot, about 10 minutes. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter until just melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, 4 sliced green onions, jalapeño, baking powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, and egg until well combined. Stir the buttermilk mixture and melted 5 tablespoons of butter into the cornmeal mixture until just combined. Fold in the cheese.

Remove the skillet from the oven, swirling the butter to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Arrange the salted tomato slices in the bottom of the skillet, overlapping the slices as needed. Spoon the cornmeal batter over the tomatoes, smoothing the surface.

Bake until the cornbread is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a small knife to loosen the sides of the cornbread. Invert the cornbread onto a serving platter. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature with a sprinkle of the remaining  green onion and black pepper.

TFD: “Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.” - Joseph Wirthlin

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