Bell Peppers and Freezers

All day long I had those three beautiful bell peppers on my mind. That is between moving 5000 pounds of bulk and directing the same people I directed yesterday to the same products....funny how that works.

But about those peppers. I bought them several days ago because they were just so pretty. And they are a strange mixed comfort food for me because in my memory we ate them ALL the time, or at least too much. And I did not like them all that much. Mom made them with ground beef and used many different fillers; cracker crumbs, rice, grated veggies, I don't know what else. They were always good, filling and cooked in a pot with lots of tomato products. I think as a kid I did not like the spicy tartness of green bell peppers. That has certainly changed.

I knew that I would not be using any meat because today is Meatless Monday and I do try and keep at least dinner meatless. I also knew that I had to pick up our son at 8:00pm, and I would not want these stuffed peppers to be too heavy. So out to the deep-freeze to see what looked interesting.

My goal right now is to get the level of food down in the freezer because I like to buy several turkeys when they are on sale (or free) for smoking later. Having several cut in half and freezer wrapped makes it easy to roast for a great meal and sandwiches later. But the freezer is way too full.

Rummaging around I find three veggie patties. The box is long gone but they are individually wrapped and look good. I think I can use these in the filling. Some spinach, maybe some cracked wheat cereal. This is sounding really good.

My foraging took me to the fridge where I found a half jar of tomatoes, some left-over cooked rice, a baggie of black olives and some cilantro. Let's put a Mexican twist on these peppers.

'CORN' MEXICAN STUFFED PEPPERS

I had never heard of "CORN" for dinner until my children clued me in on it! Clean Out The Refrigerator night, duh! Sometimes I amaze myself. But that's what these hearty, flavorful peppers did at our house, and can do at yours too.

3 large bell peppers, cut off top, remove seeds, save top for filling
3 - 3.5 oz veggie patties, broken into small pieces
1/4 cup cracked wheat cereal, in microwaveable bowl, rinsed and covered with 1 cup water. Cook on high for three minutes until softened. Try not to let it boil over like I did!
2/3 cup cooked rice
2/3 cup frozen spinach
2/3 cup canned tomatoes
2/3 cup juice from tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro with stems
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp spicy chicken seasoning
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 granulated garlic

1/4 cup grated cheese, optional
Black olives (3-4 per pepper, cut in half) optional

In food processor, combine veggie patties, partially cooked cracked wheat. Pulse. Add rice, spinach and tomatoes. Pulse. Add juice if you think you need it. You may and then again you may not. Pulse.

Add spices, pulse to just blend.

Place peppers in ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Divide filling in three and heap into peppers. You can add the olives by poking them into the filling. Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until toasty hot.

Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese, return to oven for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve with crusty artisan bread and a salad and enjoy comfort food that's good for you.

Serves three.

Another word on Wordstock.

I, of course, attended several talks by either cookbook writers or nutritionists or both. Michael went off and saw other authors. When we met up I told him about some of the questions that the audience had for the speakers. Is it just me, or do some people just embarrass themselves and the rest of the audience with their questions? Several times and with different speakers, the same question came up. "How do you have TIME to cook?" WTF! Why would you attend a talk given by someone who had produced a book full of RECIPES if you cannot visualize yourself taking the time to cook! Turn off the TV, grab your kids, spouse, Mother-in-Law...whatever, and get in the kitchen. Prepare a meal made with love, real ingredients, not some darned box, sit at the table and have a conversation then round up everyone again and do the dishes together. You might be amazed what you learn about your family and yourself!

Sorry. I cook nearly every night. I work full time. Sometimes these meals are fancy, sometimes they are simple. But they are always made with wholesome ingredients, balanced for nutrition and served with a healthy dose of love. Try it. Way better than "Lost" or "Dancing with Stars". Really.