Southwest Stuffed Peppers

I had to post this recipe right away as I made them for dinner last night and they were a HUGE hit!  


*Note- I only cooked 2 peppers and sort of eye-balled the measurements. I think 2 cups of rice would be way too much for the recipe below.  Also- I cooked the rice and meat the night before so the day of- all I had to do was cook the peppers. Very easy.




Ingredients:

- olive oil
- 1/2 lb lean ground turkey breast
- 1/4 c chopped onions
- 1 heaping tbsp taco seasoning (I made my own- check out the recipe here)
- 2 c cooked rice
- 3 bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 c frozen or canned corn
- 1 c salsa
- shredded cheddar cheese (1/4 c used in calculation)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat peppers with olive oil and roast in a baking dish for about 20-25 minutes until just cooked through. Remove peppers from oven and allow to cool.

In a bowl, add the taco seasoning, cooked ground turkey, chopped onions, black beans, corn, and rice. Add the salsa and mix well.

Carefully spoon the turkey mixture into each half of the bell peppers and place back in to the baking dish. Cook the peppers for another 15-20 minutes or until the peppers are cooked all the way through. Before removing from the over sprinkle the tops with cheese and place back in the over until cheese has melted.

Remove from the oven and top with fresh cilantro, avocado slices, or sour cream.

Serving Size: 6

Number of Servings: 6

Thanks to "SimplyLoveFood" for the picture and recipe.

Sloppy Joes

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion chopped finely
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard

In a large skillet, brown beef and onions. Drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

Chili Mac

I can't remember where I found this one.  I have it written down on a piece of paper and shoved in my cook book.  I usually add frozen mixed veggies to this and a teaspoon or so of sugar for sweetness.

8 oz. elbow macaroni
1 onion, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 can kidney beans
1 lb. ground beef
1 c. water
1 tsp. salt

Cook macaroni. Brush large skillet with oil, add ground beef and onion, brown. Add macaroni, water, chili powder, salt and kidney beans. Cover, simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

Stuffed Peppers

• In the past I have tried a stuffed pepper recipe in the crock pot, but I always seem to burn the peppers.  I am going to try this recipe out this week instead.  I will probably make the "filling" ahead of time and then just have to fill and bake the peppers the day of.  I also cut this recipe in half and only make 3.  I will include those measurements as well in case you are interested!
• 
  
• 
• Ingredients for 6 peppers:
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 cup water
• 6 green bell peppers
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Ingredients for only 3 peppers:

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 green bell peppers
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 20 minutes. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef until evenly browned.
3. Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange peppers in a baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward. (Slice the bottoms of the peppers if necessary so that they will stand upright.)
4. In a bowl, mix the browned beef, cooked rice, 1 can tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasoning in a bowl, and pour over the stuffed peppers.
5. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

Thanks to All Recipes for the recipe!

Taco Mac

Ok, so I found a recipe called Cheeseburger Macaroni and tried it out tonight. My son and husband LOVED it, but we decided it should really be called Taco Mac instead.  It has great flavor and went perfect with fresh green beans.



1lb ground beef
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can of diced tomatoes (or you can use Rotel for an extra kick)
1.5 cups beef broth (you could use water)
1 cup elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper

1. Brown the ground beef and drain
2. Add the packet of taco seasoning, can of tomatoes, beef broth, and macaroni
3. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover for 12-14 minutes

Meanwhile....
4. Melt the butter in another pan and add the flour- whisk for about 5 min
5. Add the milk and bring to a boil- keep whisking!  Whisk until smooth and thick.
6. Take off the burner and add the cheese. Melt until smooth and creamy

7. Add the cheese mixture to the pan after the 12-14 minutes
8. Season with salt and pepper

This recipe is adapted from kevinandamanda.com

Marvelous Mini Meatloaves

Shout out to Kelly who first introduced these to me. Thanks to kraftrecipes.com for the recipe! My favorite is the Mexican one.

Base:

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg (6 oz) Stovetop Stuffing Mix

1 cup water

Mix and match this base with these options:

Italian

1 tsp. Italian seasoning (I use oregano)

Spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Mexican

2 tsp. chili powder

Salsa

Shredded cheese

Greek

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

Chopped, roasted red peppers

Crumbled Feta cheese

American/BBQ

1 tsp garlic powder

BBQ Sauce

Shredded Cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. mix meat, stuffing, water, and the seasoning of your choice until well blended. Press into 12 muffin cups (sprayed well with cooking spray first).

Make an indentation in center of each with the back of a spoon. Fill evenly with 3/4 cup of add ins (listed above).

Bake for 30 minutes then top evenly with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese in melted. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Easy Crock Pot Chili

Here is the easiest and yummiest chili recipe. Thanks to my Mom for passing it along to me!

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion (diced)

1 can crushed/diced tomato

1 can chili magic (I like the Texas Medium)

Sometimes I add a finely diced green pepper too

Brown the ground beef and saute the onion. Drain access fat. Add beef, onion, chili magic, tomato (do not drain) to crock pot and simmer on low all day.

I like to serve it with shredded cheese and crackers. I also double or triple it for guests. Enjoy!