Stuffed Peppers

Some of my favorite meals come from gathering all the scraps left in the fridge, placing them all together in front of me, and concocting a meal. It's efficient. I would rather use what I have then go and buy more. These stuffed peppers are the result of such incidence. They were delicious - the first night and for left overs the next.


Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4

4 bell peppers (any color or kind you prefer)
ground turkey
extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 onion
Wild rice (or any rice you like)
1-2 cloves of garlic
pinch cinnamon and cumin
kosher salt
pepper
pick a combination of fresh and flavorful herbs and spices that you like/have around
tomato sauce
parmesan and mozzarella cheese for grating


The peppers: Carefully slice the top portion of the pepper off and set aside. Clean the inside of the peppers and de-seed. Boil water and place each pepper in and hold them under water until their color changes to a bright crayola green. Blanching the peppers before you stuff and bake them, makes the consistency soft enough to melt in with the rest of the ingredients, but still firm enough to contain them. Remove the blanched peppers and set in baking dish. I like to use a deeper dish to allow for spillage.

The rice: Cook as the package instructs. Set aside.

Heat a pan over medium heat and add olive oil, chopped onion, and crushed garlic. Sautee for 3-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add ground turkey and brown (if you want to add a little sausage it helps with taste/flavor). While this is cooking, chop the rest of your vegetables (including the tops of the peppers that we set aside earlier) into small bite size pieces. Once the meat is almost cooked through, add it to a large bowl with all of the vegetables, rice, and fold together. Add a dash of cinnamon, cumin, a tablespoon of salt and freshly ground pepper. Use a large spoon and fill each pepper about 3/4 of the way to the top. Top with sauce and a handful of grated cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!