Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

I love green peppers. 

If you don't, I'd recommend passing on this recipe.

Which is unfortunate, because it's delicious. 

But nonetheless, it's kind of heavy on the green pepper. 

Our farmer's market is selling green peppers for a quarter each so I've been stocking up each time I shop. I figure I can slice them and freeze them if I can't use them all up in time.  But tonight, we opted for stuffed peppers. And I decided to not use a recipe. I was winging it. And I didn't really know which direction I was going for a bit. I started with sautéing the garlic and onions because that's what I start every dish with. :) After that, I realized I wanted to take this the "Mexican" route using the jalapeños and corn and cumin to bring the flavors to life. It turned out beautifully. 

Ingredients

2 whole green peppers

canola oil or EVOO

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

1/2 carrot, grated

3/4 cup corn (frozen is fine)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

salt and pepper 

1 tsp cumin 

1 cup enchilada sauce 

1-1/2 to 2 cups cooked rice 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Heat a large skillet to medium low heat and drizzle with oil. Sauté onions and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add jalapeños and carrots and corn. Cook until softened. Stir in spices and tomato paste. Cook 5 minutes to meld flavors. Stir in enchilada sauce and cook 5 more minutes. Stir in cooked rice (as little or as much as you desire to a thick, but moist consistency.) 

Wash peppers and slice the tops off. Scoop out veins and seeds. Stuff peppers with filling. Recap if desired. Cover loosely with foil and bake 30-40 minutes or until peppers are fork tender--or softened to your preference (we like ours with a bit of crispness, while most recipes desire a soft pepper--your choice!)

Serve with a bit of grated cheese.