Stuffed Bell Peppers

I feel good about posting this recipe since it has many healthy ingredients. Its got plenty of vegetables that are chopped and blended in, brown rice for whole grains, and beef for protein. I also found it easy to prepare, and got some house work done while they baked. If you are short on time, you could chop and prepare the veggies on the day before. This  makes the  total cooking time much shorter.
I also found that what gave this meal a great taste was seasoning and browning/carmelizing the ingredients before stuffing the peppers.
For those who would like a meat-free version, simply saute veggies with some chopped portabella mushrooms for protein(5 grams in 1 cup) and mix with the cooked rice. Baking time may be shorter without meat, watch until golden brown.

Ingredients

Cooked brown rice- made with 1 cup rice and 1 cup water, 1 cup beef broth-use all natural/organic

10 bell peppers in various colors- 9 seeded and tops removed, 1 chopped

5 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 lb carrots, finely chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

1 diced tomato

1 cup finely chopped spinach

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

pepper and salt

Optional- about 1/2 cup of tomato ketchup or tomato sauce to top peppers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add bell peppers and about 2 tsp salt. Boil for around 3 minutes. Stir with a spoon, making sure they are completely submerged. Flesh should be slightly softened and colors bright. Depending on how big the pot is, you may have to do a couple of batches if they do not all fit. Drain and set aside to cool.

Heat a large skillet at medium high heat. Add oil and onions and saute until tender. Add the one chopped bell pepper, carrots and garlic and continue cooking until tender. Remove from skillet and add to a large bowl.  

Season beef with salt and pepper. Put the beef in the skillet at medium high heat and brown until almost cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Add spinach, parsley, tomatoes, and cooked rice to bowl with onions and carrots. Gently mix. Season with oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.  Next  add in beef.  Now, all ingredients are in one bowl. It may be easier to put on gloves and mix with your hands at this point.

Once all ingredients are mixed, drizzle about 1 tsp of olive oil inside peppers and fill peppers with beef mixture. Add 1/4 cup of water to a baking dish and arrange peppers in it( you may need more than one dish). Optional- you may put 1-2 tsp of tomato ketchup or tomato sauce on top of each stuffed pepper. Bake 40 to 50 minutes until the internal temperature reaches about 160 degrees.

Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie (Gluten Free)

Here's a recipe that really feels like an American favorite! And who doesn't love meat and potatoes? This is comfort food to me. It's hearty, healthy and yummy! I'm happy to share this one with you. **This recipe is also gluten free.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups frozen seasoning blend veggies

*these are awesome to cook with! Find them in the frozen veggie section. They are already cut up onions, celery, bell peppers, etc. Much easier than cutting up onions and adds great flavor without added preservatives or other ingredients. No salt even! Just veggies. Worry free addition  :)







1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen sliced carrots
1-3 tbsp butter or other oil for sauteing
3-5 pounds red potatoes rinsed and cut into cubes. cut off any sprouts, peel if desired
2 tbsp butter for potatoes
1 cup milk ( I used coconut milk which gave a nice flavor and bc my fiance is lactose intolerant)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable broth (you may use beef broth as well.)
1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
Seasoning to taste- salt & pepper, oregano, basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to add to top. (or whatever cheese you prefer)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cover potatoes with water in a medium size pot and bring to a boil. Add about a 1/2 tsp salt. Turn to medium heat and cook until tender. About 15- 20 minutes. Drain in a strainer once tender.
3. While potatoes are cooking, crumble ground beef and put in a large preheated skillet on medium high heat. Season with salt & pepper, basil and oregano. Add garlic. Continue cooking until fully cooked. 
4. Heat milk and 2 tbsp butter in a sauce pan on medium heat until steaming and warm. Mash up potatoes well with a potato masher or whisk in a bowl (while they are still warm). Add milk and butter to potatoes. Add 1 tsp salt and baking powder. Mix well until smooth.
5. Remove beef from skillet and set aside. Add seasoning blend veggies in skillet with oil on medium high heat and saute for a few minutes until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add in carrots and continue cooking until tender about 5 -7 minutes. Add more oil if they start to stick. Season carrots as well. Add peas in and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
6.  (Note- I always lightly season each layer to given a nice, flavor throughout. This way, you are building flavors and you don't end up with a bland dish. Don't over do the seasonings, just sprinkle lightly. Taste to make sure it is enough.)
7. When all vegetables are tender, add beef back to skillet along with broth. Stir together and put the lid on for about 5 minutes to simmer, making sure everything is cooked throughout.
8. Spread beef and vegetable mixture along the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. Carefully spread the potato mixture evenly along the top. There should be plenty of potatoes to give a nice layer on top. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. 

Remove right before done and add some shredded cheese, put back into oven to melt for about 2 minutes only. Mine looked like this in the end after cheese:

Enjoy!!