Last night I made this amazing meat stuffing for about the third time- only this time I used fresh local peppers, in the past I have used acorn squash (which is also very yummy but more Fall/Winter). This time I had several local Summer peppers- sweet yellow and green bell from my weekly produce box and I needed something to do with them. What better way to eat a pepper than to stuff it with amazing flavor? It was also the Monday after returning from a week long vacation, so Steven and I needed something to cheer us up for reality.
The recipe is easy, includes ingredients that you may already have, and also is customize-able to your tastes. Its also- low carb and an easy substitute to your comfort food craving.
Roasted and stuffed peppers
Ingredients:
- 3 to 4 Medium sized Peppers to stuff
- Olive oil
- 1 jalapeno, diced (remove seeds if you prefer less spice)
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- A little cinnamon (I actually replaced this with cardamom last night and it was still great)
- Salt & Pepper
- 1/2 a yellow onion, diced
- 3/4 lb organic ground beef (I buy this at Trader Joes but you could buy regular lean beef)
- 3 cloves of garlic, diced (I really like garlic so reduce this if needed)
- Dash of ground cumin
- Dash of ground chipotle pepper
- 1/4 cup of diced tomatoes (I like to just use cherry tomatoes cut in half.)
- Handful of chopped fresh cilantro (this goes on last so add to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest (Sometimes I add the entire zest of one orange because I really like the flavor this adds)
-Finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
-Crumbled goat cheese (optional)
Optional: I tend to lean towards the spicy side of flavors so I also add hot sauce to my dish during cooking. Also last night I had extra goat cheese from the black bean side so I added a few crumbles to the top of these before baking. Also I sometimes like to serve each dish with a lime wedge for optional extra flavor.
Preparation:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray or line a baking dish in aluminum foil.-Cut peppers in half length wise leaving the stem to make them easier to handle. Scoop out the insides with a spoon and discard. (If you decide to use acorn squash instead of peppers you would need to cut and then cook for 30 minutes prior to stuffing)
-Heat a medium-large size pan with olive oil on your burner and brown your beef on medium heat. When the beef starts to brown you can then add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and spices. Stir. Once the onions start to turn clear, add the tomatoes and the orange zest. Stir and cook for an additional two minutes then reduce heat. This is my tasting stage. I taste the mixture and see if there is anything I need to add...remember I like bold flavors.
-Begin stuffing the mixture into the pepper halves and place them in the baking dish. After you have stuffed all of your peppers, top with finely grated cheddar cheese. To be extra cheesey, last night I also added a few goat cheese crumbles on top.
-Add a splash of water to the bottom of the baking dish to help steam the peppers. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 30-45 minutes. The key here is to bring out all of the flavors, melt the cheese, and almost wilt the peppers.
-After your peppers are cooked, top with chopped cilantro and serve!
Optional side:
Goat cheese refried black beans
Ingredients:
-1 can of Refried black beans (We get the Jalapeno Refried Black Beans from Trader Joes)
- Olive oil
-1 tsp butter
-1/4 cup pickled jalapeno, diced
- 1/2 cup of diced pancetta
-1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
-Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation:
-Heat the same pan that you used for the pepper stuffing (no need to clean it, the flavors are awesome) with butter and olive oil on Medium heat
-Add the pancetta to the pan and slightly brown it, then add the diced jalapeno
-After the jalapenos have browned, add the black beans and stir.
-Once heated, add the goat cheese, melt and stir.
-Salt & pepper to taste
-Serve & enjoy!
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