Nibbles + Bites

PROTEIN WITH

Pizazz

Enjoy some summer lovin’ with an easy summer’s night dinner! Your family and friends will love this dish and since it’s easy to make, so will you. Start with Mediterranean-spiced quinoa laid gently inside roasted peppers all nestled in rich spicy tomato sauce. Quinoa is a quick vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free filling option that is a powerhouse of protein. If you fancy it, you can personalize your peppers with a sprinkle of tasty cheese for those cheese lovers in your crowd. So keep it easy, relax and unwind— it’s summertime!

Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Coulis

2 green peppers 1 cup uncooked quinoa 1 finely chopped yellow or sweet onion 2 garlic cloves crushed 2 tablespoons each fresh finely chopped mint and parsley 2 teaspoons zaatar seasoning or 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 jalapeno pepper de seeded and chopped finely (optional) 1/2 cup shelled and lightly crushed light salt pistachios Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Sauce

12 ounces (1/2 a jar) tomato passata 1 jalapeno, de seeded and grated sea salt and pepper 2 garlic cloves crushed

1/2 -3/4 cup grated tasty cheese (parmesan, cheddar, manchego)

Sauté the onions on low in a covered pan for about five minutes until softened. Add in two cups boiling water and the quinoa and cover. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes then turn off and leave covered until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Mix in two crushed garlic cloves, zaatar or oregano and thyme, mint, parsley, lemon juice, and pistachios and set aside. Mix the passata with two garlic cloves, grated jalapeno, and bit of salt and pepper. Spread on the bottom of a 9-inch backing pan. Cut peppers in half lengthwise starting at the stem and clean out seeds and white membranes. Fill each half with the quinoa mixture heaping it over the top and place each in the baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese if using and bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes until the pepper is softened. Serve warm with the sauce. Serves four.

Photography by Glenn Roberson Jill Dahan lives in Cornelius and is the author of Starting Fresh! Recipes for Life. You can learn more about her at www.jilldahan.com. To learn more about her nonprofit,

Sunninghill Jill Kids, visit www.sunninghilljillkids.org.

Radford and Kat Bennett.

Reel Cuisine

by Lara Tumer | photography by Lisa Crates

Catch the specials at Kat’s Seafood Kitchen

Above: The restaurant offers plenty of fried seafood such as flounder, shrimp, clam strips and fish and chips. Below: Outdoor seating is available. For a lakefront community, it’s rather surprising that there are not more seafood focused restaurants in Lake Norman. This is the void that owners Jim Gordon and Rad Bennett wanted to fill when opening Kat’s Seafood Kitchen in Cornelius just over a year ago. The two were not lacking in restaurant experience, finding a good amount of success with their other first restaurant, Jack’s Corner Tavern. The two restaurants are both in Cornelius, less than a half mile from one another.

While opening during the pandemic was a challenge, the draw of fresh seafood helped push along the popularity of this casual eatery. The space, which was formerly home to Lake Town Tavern, got a major facelift. Almost every aspect of the restaurant was redone—the floors, the furniture, the exterior, the signage, and even the parking lot are brand new.

cOaSt On in

While the updated space is certainly a draw, the real focus is on the food, with a menu that makes you feel like you’re on the coast. Which coast you may ask? That’s kind of the beauty of this

menu. “Everyone has a different idea of what seafood should taste like depending on where they’re from,” explains Bennett. Up north, king crab is the variety people are looking for, on the west coast, it’s Dungeness crab that’s come to be expected. It’s for this reason that the menu has a little bit of everything. It’s an approachable price point for people from anywhere and everywhere.

The culinary team is constantly working to find new types of seafood that isn’t terribly over-priced. The owners realize that “there are so many kinds of fish,” and many with great flavor and great accessibility that aren’t being sold at the typical restaurant. This is where Kat’s really stands out.

SPecial Of tHe day

Those who are looking for a deal should check out the restaurant’s weekly seafood specials. On Monday the feature is all-youcan-eat crab leg. Tuesday the restaurant offers a Maine lobster special, and Wednesday pounds of shrimp can be enjoyed at half off. The quality is never lacking however – food always comes first. Happy hour oysters are on special Monday through Friday from 4 – 6 p.m.

When it comes to drinks, owners are two steps ahead, looking at future trends. They’re currently working with a cocktail specialist to develop a menu of rum-focused cocktails, which they believe will be the next liquor to take the spotlight. “Right now, we’re seeing a lot of bourbon focused drinks, but we really believe that rum is going to be at the forefront of every cocktail menu in the near future,” says Bennett. There are bottles of fifteen, eighteen, and even twenty-year aged rum that can stand out in the culinary and cocktail scene.

The most popular menu items include Calabasas style fried seafood, steamed crabs, and more. For anyone who doesn’t enjoy seafood, an assortment of non-seafood items are also offered, including classic juicy burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches, as well as fresh salads, loaded tacos, and tasty sides. Every single recipe is original and handmade. From the large scale entrees to the sauces—there are no short cuts.

The owners continue to make updates to the restaurant. Additional décor and artwork are being installed this month, making the interior a bit more warm and welcoming. The menu will be ever evolving as well with the latest trends, tastes, and local availability driving the creation of new recipes.

Kat’s Seafood Kitchen

19708 W. Catawba Ave., Cornelius www.facebook.com/katsseafoodkitchen