Unstuffed Peppers

I wish I could take credit for the clever name on this one, but all credit is due to a smart woman who wrote into the Rachel Ray mag. All the delicious flavors of the labor intensive stuffed pepper without all the labor. What more could you ask for? I took her fabulous idea and tweaked it to match my family's preferences. And I'm telling you... NOTHING gets me excited for dinner like a giant pan of colorful veggies!

Un-stuffed Peppers

Rice:
-If you've got some cooked and stored in the fridge, this becomes a one-pot wonder!
-If not, then cook up the rice of your choosing while you're prepping and cooking the veggies.

In a large pan or wok, combine:
-Crush, minced or chopped garlic*
-Bell peppers, chopped
-Mushrooms, chopped
-Onion, chopped
-Olive oil or coconut oil
-Salt and pepper

Saute to desired tenderness.
Top with cheese of your choosing (optinal).

*(I prefer fresh garlicbut this is a GREAT alternative found in your grocer's freezer section!)

**We used this as one of our vegetarian meals for the week and with all the great veggie flavors, we didn't miss the meat one bit. If you do want to add something in, the original recipe called for ground sausage.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

This is a mexican version of the original stuffed pepper, or unstuffed pepper as I usually prefer to make. I did laugh when my 5-year-old declared them a vegetable taco as she folded her pepper in half and ate it like a taco!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
-1 c brown rice
-olive oil
-6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
-1/2 lb ground beef
-1 c frozen corn
-1 can of chopped green chilies
-1 tsp cumin
-1 c shredded cheese, colby jack, montery jack, or cheddar
-4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
-salt and pepper
-toppings: salsa, scallions, sliced avocado

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cook rice according to directions.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet, add scallion whites and beef. Cook until beef is cooked through.
3. Stir in corn, chilies, cumin, cooked rice, 1/2 c cheese, dash of salt and pepper.
4. Arrange the peppers in a baking dish. Divide the beef mixture among the peppers. Pour 1/2 c water into the bottom of the dish, cover with foil, and bake until peppers are soft, 30-40 minutes.
5. Uncover, sprinkle remaining cheese, and bake until browned, 5-7 minutes.
6. Top with salsa, scallions, and sliced avocados.

**Replace the beef with black beans and this would make an awesome vegetarian dinner.**