November 2008

There was an amazing deal on red, yellow and orange peppers at the grocery store and I couldn't resist purchasing them. I found this amazing recipe for stuffed peppers on Allrecipes.com. Give them a try. The recipe calls for green peppers but I really enjoyed the other colors--especially red.

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice (I used brown rice)
  
• 2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.
4. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

October 2008

Tasty Lentil Tacos

I love Mexican Food! Here is a way I can still eat tacos:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup salsa
• 12 taco shells
• 1-1/2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in salsa.
Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream. Yield: 6 servings.

TIME: Prep: 10 min. Cook: 35 min.