Turkey Stuffed Peppers

In this post I talked about clearing out my pantry and trying to use up any processed, boxed, go-to meals. One of the things that I had always turned to was Rice-A-Roni for side dishes. This recipe is a product of using the rice in a way that makes it more than just a boxed side. Besides also being a recipe you can use with regular rice and lots of seasonings, it tastes just as great with the Rice-A-Roni. I also use turkey because I don't eat a lot of red meat but it can be easily substituted with ground beef or black beans. What you get in the end is a filling, delicious, and guilt-free meal that is super easy to make!

What You'll Need:

3 large bell peppers

1 box of Mexican Style Rice-A-Roni

3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/2 of an onion

1 pound of ground turkey 

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

cheese

sour cream (optional)

What To Do: 

1. Start by preparing the rice per the directions on the box. You'll want to have this ready so you can add it to the turkey when it's done cooking. 

*If you use regular rice cook it beforehand by boiling it in chicken or veggie broth and season with cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. 

2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Wash and cut your peppers in half (long-way). Use a spoon (or your hand) to pull out the center of the bell pepper and dispose of the seeds. Place them on the baking sheet and set aside. 

*This recipe gives two people three halves or three people two with a side.

3. In a large pot or pan heat up your oil. Brown your turkey for about 5 minutes. While that is cooking, chop your onion and then add it to the turkey. Add a the cumin and garlic powder and let the meat finish cooking. Drain the meat if there's a lot of liquid so it doesn't make the rice soggy. 

4. Add the cooked rice to the turkey mixture and mix it all together. 

5. Fill the peppers with the turkey and rice mix and cook for 10 minutes. Add cheese to the tops of the peppers and then bake for another 3 minutes so the cheese can melt. 

6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa and ENJOY!

Thanksgiving Catch-Up: Blogging Through the Holidays!

I literally have one more final left then I'm on vacation. I've taken a hiatus from blogging so I could focus on pre-final tests and papers, then finals themselves. As always I have soo much to blog but I wanted to let you know how my holidays have been. We're currently getting ready for Christmas (I'll be in full-swing Christmas mode when finals are done) but we've already had some of our traditions here: Thanksgiving being the first one. Mike and I both attended our families Thanksgiving dinners, then I attended my parents' dinner, then our personal one here at home. Three Thanksgivings. Yeah, I'm still full. I won't get into my recipes (except for one that I'll post later) so I'll just let you know what I was up to for my weekend-long feast.

On Thanksgiving day I woke up, watched the parade, then headed off to San Jose to see my family. We usually have that dinner pretty early because my aunts and uncles have dinner with their in-laws too and so on. There was no shortage of food there either.

My uncle and the newest member of our family - his grandson!

I had a great time with my family and enjoyed seeing everyone since it had been so long and I've moved pretty far.

On Friday it was also Mike's birthday (he's a Thanksgiving baby) so we had plans that night but my parents always have their own Thanksgiving for us the next day so I attended that too. This is the spread my mom had for us. It consisted of turkey, homemade stuffing, yams, homemade mashed potatoes, rice (because we're Mexican and we eat it with almost every meal), and cranberry sauce.

Yeah, I rocked this...

Our last Thanksgiving was on that Saturday. I started this tradition when Mike and I moved out last year so we could have our own leftovers. It's really what got me started in blogging again. I had forgotten how fun it could be to cook multiple items at once, and the pressure and satisfaction that comes with pulling it off. Folks, this is for you, I owe you one.This year I found out something about myself. I don't like turkey. I mean I'll eat it, but I usually go after all of the side dishes. And I realized the older I get, the lazier turkey makes me. It's just not my favorite thing, but I made one anyway. Along with my turkey I had stuffin' muffins, mashed potatoes, yams, rice, and a potato salad.

*Confession* I don't know the difference between sweet potatoes and yams and I honestly don't know which ones I made but they were good. Also, I'm sorry if my version differs from the traditional way, I don't know what that is either but feel free to let me know.

These are the ingredients that my lovely father chopped really really tiny for me. He's the best at it. These are bags of celery, green onion, and the turkey neck (let's all ignore the third thing together). I sauteed them in a bunch of butter then added a box of Stovetop stuffing and half a bag of plain stuffing. This is my secret. You're welcome :) unless you do it too.

For my potatoes I did the usual boiling of potatoes and whipped them with cream and butter (calories and I are good friends over the holidays).

My stuffin muffins ready to go....

My yams crushed up with crushed pineapple, walnuts, brown sugar and topped with mini marshmallows.

This is the first time we had this but we got them from Mike's dad. This is the exact recipe we used. Please try them - they're delicious and very unhealthy!!

This is the guest of honor. Not too bad huh? 

Not a bad feast for college students on a budget. We both really enjoyed it too. Don't worry I didn't forget about dessert! I'll be posting my Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe soon. See you all then. Cheers!