Yummy Stuffed Peppers

Last night I decided to try something new. Josh doesn't enjoy peppers, so I wouldn't make these if he was home. Since he was working it was the perfect night to try them! I got the recipe from www.skinnytaste.com. I LOVE her site. This is probably the tenth recipe of hers that I have tried and they have all been so tasty. They are also really healthy which is an added bonus. I don't like to sacrifice flavor, and I love that even though her food is good for you, it really tastes good too. I made a few changes to the original recipe because of ingredients that I already had on hand. She uses red bell peppers in the original, and after trying them with green, I think I would like the red better. The green bell pepper tends to be a little more bitter. Her recipe is also different from most stuffed pepper recipes because you don't have to pre-cook the peppers and they are not heavy on the tomato sauce. The peppers steam while cooking, due to a little chicken stock in the dish and some foil to cover. Brilliant! Who wants to go through all the trouble of cooking them beforehand? I sure don't! I hope you like this recipe as much as I did. It was SO easy and made a ton. I will post my adjustments next to the ingredients that I substituted. Happy eating!

Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes (Skinnytaste.com)
Servings: 6 servings (1/2 pepper) • Time: 55 minutes • Old Points: 4 • Points+: 5
Calories: 184.7 • Fat: 2.3 g • Protein: 20.8 g • Carb: 20.2 g • Fiber: 1.6 g

• 1 lb lean chopped turkey meat ( I used lean beef)
• 1 garlic, minced ( I used 2)
• 1/4 onion, minced ( I used 1/2)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley ( I omitted this because I didn't have any)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed ( I used 4 green)
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice ( I used Brown Minute Rice)
• Olive oil spray ( I added a tsp. butter to help the saute' process, olive oil would be great, too.)
• 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese
  

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a little olive oil spray in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame. Add onion, garlic and cilantro to the pan. Saute about 2 minutes and add ground turkey. Season with salt and garlic powder, and cumin and brownmeat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Combine cooked rice and meat together.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds. Place in a baking dish.Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can.Place all stuffed pepper halves on the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy.

Mimi and Minny's Chocolate Chess Pie

If you haven't seen The Help yet, I urge you to do so. It is a wonderful movie that will have you both laughing and crying. One of the main characters in the film is Minny. She is a feisty lady who is an excellent cook and makes the best chocolate pies in town. The last time I was in Mississippi visiting family I came across a newspaper article about the chocolate pies that were used on the set of the movie. They were all made my a newspaper columnist named Lee Ann Flemming from Greenwood, Mississippi. At the end of the article was the recipe for Minny's pie. As I read the ingredients, they sounded very familiar.

My Mimi has made the same chocolate chess pie for as long as I can remember. It's not your typical chocolate pie topped with meringue. This pie is different. It is rich, smooth and oh so chocolaty. The best chocolate pie EVER in my book. She always has one in the fridge when we visit, and I usually have to get my piece early before my brother devours it all! While I was reading the recipe, I read it out loud to Mimi and it was the exact recipe that she had used all these years. I want to share it all with you because it is such a family favorite. Now, if you are looking for a low-fat, low calorie pie, I'm afraid this isn't for you. :)

I hope you make this pie and that your family enjoys it as much as ours has! Happy eating!

Mimi and Minny's Chocolate Chess Pie

1 packaged pie dough crust, such as Pillsbury

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Whipped cream or Cool Whip, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 5 minutes longer, just until the crust is dry but not browned.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

Back to Blogging!

Hello again! I am so excited to give blogging another "go". I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Most of you know that I have a *slight* obsession with anything food related. I have often said that if I could just pay for one cable channel it would be Food Network! I love to cook, bake, and experiment in the kitchen. This blog will be a place where I can share recipes, tips, and just life in general! I will blog more later, but for now I leave you with my father-in-law's Charro Bean recipe for the crockpot! I love to make these because they are so super easy and equally as yummy! I usually prep all the veggies the night before so it saves time. It's also WAY easier to chop bacon if it's frozen. Just a little FYI :). Enjoy!

Papaw's Charro Beans

1 lb pintos ( clean and soak overnight )

1/2 lb bacon chopped small ( or more if you like )

1 chopped tomato ( or can )

1 med onion chopped small

2-3 stalks celery chopped small

1 small green pepper chopped small

Chopped serrano or jalapeno pepper ( optional )

3 cloves garlic ( or garlic powder )

1 Tbsp chili powder ( I add a little more)

1 Tbsp cumin ( I add a little more)

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown bacon until semi-crisp. Add onions, peppers, celery and garlic to bacon

drippings and saute. Put bacon pieces and sauteed items in with beans in

slow cooker and cover with water. Add tomato and spices and cook on high

setting for 5 to 6 hours.