Mexican Stuffed Peppers

My husband and I were discussing dinner last night. He suggested stuffed peppers and I suggested taco salad. So I brilliantly decided to combine the two and we had Mexican stuffed peppers. :) I just have a few quick notes about my peppers. I do not cook them to mush. I like them to maintain their shape. I also do not like watery peppers, so I pre-cook them not only to reduce the cooking time when I add the meat, but to get rid of some of the water. I served them with lettuce, sour cream, and salsa.

Emmett has been good in the evenings lately, so making dinner isn't as difficult. I'm able to think and plan a bit more now. Mimi has been my kitchen helper. She wants to stir everything and gets things out of the fridge for me. It's very cute. Her favorite thing to make is pancakes though. I made them 4 times yesterday so I'm starting to feel like IHOP. But it's good for her to participate. I want my children to learn how to cook. Plus, she's picking up new words and she's more willing to try new things such as broccoli, asparagus and other veggies that would normally make her scream, "NO!!!!!!" Pretty soon Emmett will be able to cook with me too.... very soon actually, I can't believe how fast he's growing.

We also decorated stockings yesterday. It's our tradition that I started when Mimi was born. We buy some cheap stockings, some material paint, and paint whatever we want on each stocking. Easy as that.

P.S. My apologies, the pics are a bit blurry. Holding a toddler and snapping pics is challenging. :)

Cut peppers in half, remove stems and seeds 

Rice

Mix in the rice and cilantro

Stuff the peppers

Top with cheese 

Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Serving Size = 2 peppers, 4 halves

• 1/2 cup white long grain rice
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (or tomato sauce, or add fresh tomatoes to the beef, or skip completely)
• 1 1/2 lbs of beef (I think I had a little less)
• 2 large bell peppers
• 2 - 3 tablespoons of cilantro
• Taco seasoning (click here for recipe), add all of it
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup or so of sharp cheddar cheese (or medium cheddar)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Slice the peppers in half, remove the stems and seeds. Place them into a baking dish, add a little bit of salt and bake for about 20 mins (water should pool up in the middle of each pepper, pour it out).
2. Bring 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of rice to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (you could also use tomato sauce, or skip and add tomatoes to the ground beef, or skip completely) and about 1/4 teaspoon or so of salt and stir. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer gently for 20 minutes.
3. In a large pan over medium heat cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain the oil off. Add about 1/4 cup or so of water and pour in the taco seasoning. Mix well and cook until the liquid is gone. Add the cilantro and mix.
4. Add the rice to the meat mixture and taste test. Place the mixture into the peppers and bake for about 15 minutes. After 15 mins or so, top with cheese and let it melt (should only takes a couple of minutes).
5. I served mine with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul