Mexican Stuffed Peppers

For years, which thinking about it now seems ridiculous, I have been wanting to try to make stuffed peppers. I honestly hadn't ever even tried them before. I'm not a fan of raw green peppers and the yellow and red peppers are usually pretty pricey at the store. (The cooked ones are much more tolerable! :)) A few weeks ago Aldi had a bag of 3 peppers priced at 99 cents. I snatched up two bags and kind of hoarded them hoping they would last forever. :) Of course, the next time I looked at them, they were in desperate need to be used and in came this recipe. It was a great change from my usual Mexican meals and very filling. Now I'm left hoping Aldi runs another great deal soon...maybe I'll get three bags next time! ;)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2 cups white rice, cooked

4-6 bell peppers, any color

1 package taco seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil.

2. Prepare the bell peppers. Cut of top and use a spoon to remove the core and as much of the white inside as possible.

3. When water is boiling, carefully drop in the bell peppers and let cook for 3 minutes. Remove with tongs and let drain on a paper towel.

(Don't worry, the floaties seen in the pic are part of the cores I scooped out!)

4. Brown and drain ground beef.

5. Add in diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, and cooked rice. Stir to combine.

6. Place partially cooked bell peppers in a baking dish. You may need to slice a bit of the bottom off so they can stand up. Or just smoosh them in a snug dish.

7. Fill with the beef and rice mixture. If you use only 4 peppers, there will probably be leftover mixture but it tastes great in soft tacos or nachos for lunch the next day!

8. Top peppers with cheese and place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Ole! ;)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Why do the tastiest recipes always turn out to be the easiest? After years of trying different spinach and artichoke dips, I was finally handed this recipe and was blown away by the simplicity of it. I mean, seriously, you just cook it in the microwave and all the measurements are in 1/2 cups...someone could do this in their sleep! But seriously, I went to a friend's swap party (swapping shirts, pants, purses, jewelry, etc) and in walked this dish. The girl who brought it even saved the cooking part until she got there and just stuck it in the microwave. It was delicious and I knew I had to swap her recipe! Haha!

Spinach Artichoke Dip ingredients

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 can artichokes, drained and chopped

1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Mix all ingredients together, spread in a greased dish, cook in the microwave on high for approximately 8 minutes.

Stir and serve with tortilla chips.

I chose to use fat free sour cream and mayonnaise and combine that with the veggies I chalked this up to a pretty light appetizer!

Veggie Pizza

Veggie Pizza: perfect for potlucks and as an appetizer. It can be a little pricey when you're buying all those vegetables and only use a fraction of them, but I made three separate pizzas over the course of a week to use with different get togethers. That, or you could just eat the veggies and do a body good. ;)

Ingredients:

2 packages crescent rolls

1 package cream cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 envelope ranch dressing mix

assorted vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, red pepper, broccoli, etc.)

Spread crescent rolls onto jelly roll pan and seal seams.

Bake as directed on package (10-13 minutes) at 350 degrees.

Let cool completely.

Mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, and dressing mix.

Spread onto cooled crescent roll crust.

Finely dice vegetables and spread over pizza.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

When cool, press veggies into cream cheese mixture to help stick.

Cut into square pieces.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

As I said in an earlier post...sweet potatoes are currently priced at ten cents a pound. I think that qualifies it as the cheapest side dish known to man kind. And as my hubby and I are approaching a big life decision (more on that later), cheap is mattering to me right now!

These roasted sweet potatoes are perfect alongside fish or chicken. I always have to tie my hands to let them bake the needed amount of time, and it is so worth it! They're so tempting, I've eaten them while they're still crunchy just to satisfy my want...no self control man, no self control.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Ingredients

sweet potatoes (as many as you desire)

salt

olive oil

cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and dice potatoes into small chunks...aim for equal size chunks.

Spread on baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and toss with hands to coat.

Season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast in 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sweet potatoes will be done when fork tender.

Hint to remember...I always wish I would have made more, so go overboard!

Fresh and Chunky Salsa

This is the most requested meal item I get from my hubby. Fresh and Chunky Salsa fits perfectly in a "Mexican Fiesta" type of night! I suggest making it the day before so it can mush, meld, or "juice up" in the fridge...seems more tasty that way. However, that doesn't happen much around here, and it's delicious freshly made too!

Ingredients:

3 or 4 tomatoes (or 6-8 roma tomatoes, which I prefer), chopped

1 cup frozen corn kernels, cooked

1/2 red onion, diced

1/4 cup diced cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1/8-1/4 cup italian dressing

 Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and stir gently.

Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite Mexican beverage!