Southwest Stuffed Peppers

This recipe came from The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife.

I just made two stuffed peppers and baked the rest in a casserole dish to have another night.


SOUTHWEST STUFFED PEPPERS

4-6 green bell peppers
1 pound ground beef
1 (14 ounce) can Ro-tel, undrained
1 1/2 cups water
1 (5.4 ounce) package Knorr Fiesta Sides Mexican Rice (rice & orzo blend)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Cut tops off of bell peppers; remove seeds. Cut bottom of bell pepper so that it will sit up straight. Put bell peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Heat in microwave for 2 or 3 minutes.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until no longer pink; drain well. Return meat to skillet. Add the Ro-tel tomatoes, water and rice mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Spoon meat/rice mixture into bell peppers. Top each with a small portion of cheese. Place in a greased or sprayed baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with additional cheese and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Tortellini Salad

I'm back.

School became very time consuming for a while. My speech class required alot of time in research and rehearsal. But, it paid off with an A.

Of course, the anatomy class took lots of time, too. I still have a final exam to take this Tuesday. Then I'm done with school for a few weeks.

I have one class this summer, it only meets one day a week. I'll have to find some other things to occupy my time and not get too lazy!

Here's one of my favorite summer pasta salad recipes.

TORTELLINI SALAD

1 (16 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons prepared pesto
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips (I added an orange pepper, too)
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 (6 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half


Cook tortellini as label directs. Drain and cool by running cold water over. In a small bowl, mix vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper and pesto. Combine green and yellow peppers, tomato, artichokes and tortellini in a large bowl. Pour dressing in; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.

Chicken with Balsamic Sweet Peppers

Tasty dinner from a couple of weeks ago. Chicken with red, yellow and green bell peppers sauteed with balsamic vinegar. I served it with couscous.

CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC SWEET PEPPERS

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cups thinly sliced mixed red, yellow, orange and/or green bell peppers
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sauté the chicken over medium-high heat, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Cook the bell peppers and onion, stirring often, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil and vinegar.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

Yield: 4 servings