Bon Vivant: One Woman's Exploration of the Culinary Landscape: Recipe of the Week (June 12-18, 2011): Mini Stuffed Peppers

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve contributed to the worthiness of my own blog by posting a recipe of the week. There are a litany of excuses that I could use for this absence, including 1) the dog ate my homework; b) I didn’t know it was my turn; c) I fell asleep or d) the devil made me do it, none of which would hold much validity.

The truth of the matter is I just couldn’t think of a suitable recipe to use. I wanted to have a photograph to go along with a recipe, yet I have never been in the habit of taking pictures of food that I prepare and, when I do think about it, more than two-thirds of it is already in my stomach.

So today, I set out to do something to change that. I made a dish specifically to photograph. Yes, I took into account flavor, quality, ease of preparation, etc., but mainly I wanted a photo of something that I cooked.

I had no earthly idea what I wanted to prepare, so I decided to wander around the grocery store until something jumped out at me. And quite literally, it did. While taking a leisurely stroll through the produce aisle, a 2 lb. bag of mini sweet peppers fell from a display kiosk and landed at my feet.

I had found my muse.

I immediately knew what I would make. Mini Stuffed Peppers. This is a recipe that I created on the fly, using ingredients I hoped would work well together.

Enjoy!

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Start with fresh, ripe mini sweet peppers

2 lbs. mini sweet peppers

1/2 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb. sweet Italian turkey sausages, casings removed
1 package Knorr’s Spanish Rice
1 package chili seasoning mix
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar)
Salt & pepper
Additional cheese for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a medium sized baking dish (one that will compactly hold peppers).
Combine ground turkey and turkey sausage in a skillet and cook (with a little vegetable oil) over medium heat until browned. Make sure the meat mixture is well crumbled for easy stuffing into mini peppers. Season with salt, pepper or other seasonings to taste.
While turkey is cooking, prepare rice according to package instructions.
Drain excess fat from meat. Combine rice and meat, and then add package of chili seasoning until mixture is fully saturated with seasonings. Add 1 1/2 c. cheese and allow to melt, stirring to combine thoroughly. Remove from heat.
Cut off pepper tops and discard tops. Remove seeds and excess cartilage from peppers. Stuff meat mixture inside peppers and arrange in dish, stuffed side up.
Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until peppers are desired consistency. Five minutes before removing from oven, top with additional cheese if desired.