Fall Festival of Foods

6 large green Hatch peppers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
½ teaspoon ground cumin seed
6 eggs, beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup shredded queso blanco or
Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup sour cream
Snipped cilantro

1. Preheat grill or broiler. Brush peppers with 1 tablespoon oil. Grill or broil until skins char and peppers are slightly softened (about 10 minutes), turning several times. Let peppers cool. Peel and discard skins.
2. Make a T-shaped cut along the side of each pepper; remove seeds and membranes. (For hotter stuffing, save seeds.)
3. Heat remaining oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin, then pour eggs into skillet. Add salt and saved pepper seeds, if using. Stir and cook eggs to scramble. Set aside to cool. Add cheese to egg mixture.
4. Spoon filling into each pepper. Place on a foil-lined rack. Grill on lowest setting of a closed grill or bake in a 350F oven until heated through. Serve with sour cream and snipped cilantro. Serves 6.

Recipe by David Feder, "Relish Festivals and Fun," Sept. 2007.

Per serving: 160 calories, 11g fat, 10g prot., 5g carbs., 2g fiber, 225mg sodium.

2½ cups sliced leeks or onion
¼ cup each chopped fresh basil and mint
4 chicken leg quarters
1 cup dry white wine
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
40 unpeeled garlic cloves (about 4 heads)
25 whole cherry tomatoes
Sprigs of basil
French bread (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Combine leeks, basil and mint in a 4-quart casserole. Arrange chicken over leek mixture. Drizzle with wine; sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and casserole lid. Bake 1 hour. Add cherry tomatoes and bake 1 hour longer. Garnish with basil sprigs and serve with French bread. Serves 6.

"Relish Festivals and Fun," Sept. 2007.

Per serving: 280 calories, 11g fat, 22g prot., 16g carbs., 2g fiber, 660mg sodium.

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Lemon curd:
3 eggs
1⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut
into small pieces
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
Crumbs:
24 vanilla wafer cookies

1. To prepare the filling, beat mascarpone, cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, lemon rind, and vanilla and lemon extracts in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Fold in whipped cream.
2. To prepare the curd, whisk eggs, lemon juice and sugar in a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, 10 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and if necessary strain to remove any lumps. Whisk in butter and lemon rind; cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature.
3. To prepare the crumbs, place cookies in a food processor; pulse to make fine crumbs.
4. Layer curd, crumbs and filling in 12 (4-ounce) parfait glasses, using about twice as much filling as curd; repeat layers. Serves 12.
Note: To prepare this pudding in a soufflé dish, melt 1⁄4 cup butter and add to cookie crumbs. Press mixture into the bottom of a 2-quart soufflé dish. Bake 10 minutes in a 350F oven. Cool. Spoon prepared filling over crust, smooth top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold. Spread room temperature curd over top of filling.

Per serving: 340 calories, 28g fat, 5g prot., 19g carbs., 0g fiber, 100mg sodium.