Stuffed Peppers

When peppers are in abundance from the garden, you can bet that stuffed peppers will be making an appearance on our table.

Stuffed Peppers
4-8 sweet peppers (any colour will do)
Pinch of salt
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, venison, giraffe, whatever)
1 cup rice, cooked (or uncooked if using instant)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or one can diced tomatoes, drained)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 cups cooked black beans (or one can, drained and rinsed)
2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp guacamole seasoning (if you don't have this, no worries ... it's just an extra something I like to add)
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1 cup cheese, shredded (Tex Mex blend, if you've got it)
1 tbsp guacamole seasoning (only if you are not using tex mex cheese)

1. Wash peppers, remove tops and seeds. Add pepper to lightly salted boiling water. Boil for about 3 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Brown meat with onion and garlic. Drain and place in a large bowl.

3. Add rice, beans, corn, tomatoes and spices. Mix well.

4. Place peppers upright in a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle a tiny bit of EVOO into the bottom of each pepper. Stuff peppers with filling. This makes enough filling to fill 8 peppers. However, I usually don't have this many so I just line the bottom of the baking dish with the remaining filling. **IMPORTANT: If using minute rice, add a bit of water to the bottom of the baking dish. If using cooked rice, it's not necessary.

5. In a small bowl, mix ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and some more guacamole seasoning if you have it. (If not just throw in some spice blends of your choice).


6. Pour sauce over peppers.

7. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.

Serves 4-8. We find that one pepper per person is more than enough, especially if you've got extra filling on the side. Sometimes I serve this with corn chips and sour cream. Other times, I pair it with a fresh green salad for a light, but satisfying, summer meal.