Stuffed Peppers

I've been trying to make our meals more interesting lately. 

I stopped eating grains (rice, flour, pasta, etc.) about 6 weeks ago

and sometimes it's hard to find a new way to cook meat and vegetables.

Last week I tried beef-stuffed peppers. 

That's the most inventive name I can come up with. 

It's an easy recipe. Pan-fry ground beef with chopped onions,

mushrooms, garlic, or any other vegetables you want. 

There might be some cherry tomatoes in there. 

Finely chopped carrots would be good as well. 

Since ground beef and bell peppers are both on the bland side,

you'll want to spice these babies up. 

I added sweet thai chili sauce and southwest pepper flakes to my beef mixture.

Cut the tops off the peppers and discard the seeds and membrane inside. 

Keep the tops, you'll  need them later.  

Fill each pepper with your ground beef mixture and put their "hats" back on.

Place them in an oven-safe dish and bake at 350 degrees

until they are wrinkling and look thoroughly cooked. 

Mine got a little toasted on the top but it didn't affect the taste at all.

One Tip: Poke a few small holes in the bottom of each pepper before cooking. 

This will let the liquid run out during baking. 

Otherwise, the first time you cut into one

there will be a flood on your plate.

A couple of nights ago I tried ground pork instead. 

Chopped onions, mushrooms, and garlic again.

Threw in some baby spinach.

Seasoned it with spicy chili sauce. 

(Excuse the steam, I couldn't get a shot without it.)

I layered some shredded cheese into the pepper

before and after adding the meat mixture. 

They were soooo good! 

Heavy on the heat and the garlic - just the way I like it. 

I only wish Tom hadn't talked me into eating

a cupcake before dinner (yeah flour, I know). 

These peppers are deceivingly filling and I was stuffed! 

Ha! Stuffed! (Like the peppers, you know?)

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I'm linking to these great food parties this week!