Enchilada-Style Stuffed Peppers

Let's talk about stuffed peppers. I have tried several kids but they always have ground meat and rice in the recipe which makes them kind of....dry and sad. They are supposed to oozing with goodness, tender, and tasty. These met all the criteria. I got the idea for these enchilada-style peppers from Pinterest, but I just did not like all of the ingredients in the Pinterest recipe. After doing a little online reading, I came up with a recipe that combined elements of four different ones. Rich, aka "the anti-veggie" did like the filling but of course does not like bell peppers. ;-) This recipe easily makes 8 peppers so I highly recommend you consider making only half the recipe, or freezing half of the filling. Or, at least invite some guests over :-) I wanted leftovers so I made 5 peppers and put the rest of the filling away.

To start, you've gotta make some roasted chicken. Drizzle four chicken breasts with olive oil, then sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, garlic salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Wrap them in foil and bake at 400 for 45-55 minutes. Cool & shred.

Now, let's make stuffed peppers!

5 large, even-shaped bell peppers in assorted colors (green, red, orange, yellow!)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can Rotel, drained
1 cup finely shredded cheese, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
1 large can mild red enchilada sauce, any brand
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the "white stuff" and the seeds.

Spray a deep covered baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then place the peppers inside. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, beans, corn, cheese, Rotel, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, and the cumin and chili powder. 

Next. generously fill the peppers and pour the remaining enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Bake, covered, at 350 for about 50 minutes, then garnish with cheese and allow about 2-3 minutes for it to melt. 

I served ours with sweet corn tomalito. It's soooooo yummy! One pepper has approximately 325 calories, 8 grams of fat, 33 carbs and 34 grams of protein.

Until you serve with Mexican crema and Wholly Guacamole! Mmmmmmm. So good. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why am I taking the time to write a post about chocolate chip cookies? Because this recipe is baking soda free, and I'm taking it for granted I'm not the only person who flips over the bag of Tollhouse chocolate morsels and then frowns because I don't have baking soda. Also, the Tollhouse recipe makes about a million cookies. This recipe makes about 2.5 dozen yummy, basic chocolate chip cookies. Enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1-2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (you can also shake it through a mesh strainer into a  large bowl if you don't have a sifter)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag Tollhouse milk chocolate morsels

Preheat the oven to 375. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well-mixed and fluffy. Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until well incorporated. Stir in the milk chocolate morsels. Drop by generous, rounded teaspoon-fulls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 9-11 minutes. 10 minutes is the perfect cookie as far as I'm concerned. You will see the edges turning light golden but the top of the cookie should not be. That way once they cool you will still have a soft, chewy cookie instead of a golden rock. Enjoy!