Stuffed Bell Peppers Ala Yum

So, over the weekend I decided to try something new. Stuffed bell peppers. But...I couldn't find a recipe for what I wanted. I wanted chicken (not ground), and Mexican flavors. It doesn't seem like an impossible combination, but flipping through online recipes and all of my cookbooks says other wise. What I eventually wound up doing was using the Better Homes and Gardens instructions for roasting peppers and making up the rest. The result...yum.

What you need:

Red, Yellow or Orange Bell Peppers (I used all three.)

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used three, which was more than enough to stuff five peppers)

Lawry's Chile lime marinade and/or Mexican seasonings (I use cumin, McCormick's Mexican seasoning, garlic sea salt, black pepper and lime juice.)

Rice A Roni Spanish Rice

14.5 ounce can of stewed tomatoes

14 ounce can of black beans

1 cup of cheese (I used Colby Jack)

Instructions:

Marinade chicken for at least an hour if you decide to use it (which I recommend, it's really good.)

Make rice according to directions on the box. When you add the tomatoes, add drained black beans as well.

While rice is cooking, start cooking your chicken (I put the breast whole on a hot skillet, let them cook on both sides for about 8 minutes, seasoned liberally, cubed it and then threw it back in the pan to get the last bit of pink out.)

Preheat oven to 375.

Carve your peppers by cutting around the stem and twisting it out. Technically you're supposed to scoop the seeds out, but I just rinsed and swished and called it good. Test your pepper to see if it can stand up on its own. No? Shave a tiny bit off the bottom with a paring knife until it stands.

Once the rice and chicken are done, scoop the rice into the bottom half of your pepper, then scoop chicken into the top.

Bake for 20 minutes until the pepper is blistering. Add cheese to the top and bake 5 minutes more.

Viola! Amazing meal for you and yours! I also added some chunky guacamole and chips on the side - just cube equal parts avocado and tomatoes, mix in a bowl with the same Mexican spices used for the chicken, pour in some lime juice and eat with chips. Sangria doesn't hurt either.

Let me know if you try this, I'd love to know what you think.

Tonight - Eggplant Parmesan! (I couldn't resist buying an eggplant the size of my forearm at Carpenito Brothers over the weekend. I'm going to try to recreate the eggplant Parmesan from the cruise.)