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!

Traditional Mexican Rice

This is also known as Spanish Rice to a lot of people. I'm not sure about the origins of it, but I know I'm Mexican and this is my rice. No matter what, you're going to die over how flavorful this rice is. I'm not a huge fan of white rice (I know some people swear by it) so I end up making this kind of rice the most. It's perfect for enchiladas, taquitos, or in this case, my grandma's tamales! Speaking of, my grandma and mom would be so proud! I was taught by the best and now I make it for Mike whenever I can. When I was growing up my grandma would make this rice for all of our family parties and holidays. Now, I pass my traditions onto you.

As a side note, this recipe is near and dear to me, not only because it's been passed on, but because this is one of the first things I learned how to make on my own. I loved how things weren't really measured to make it taste good (unlike baking where you measure everything). I could add a couple dashes of this and that and things would turn out, not only un-ruined, but extremely delicious. I hope you enjoy it too!

What You'll Need:

1/2 of an onion

1 tomato

1 cup of white rice

2 cups of water

Tomato Bouillon (Caldo de Tomate)

Garlic powder

Black pepper

Vegetable oil

This whole process is really easy and feeds 3 people (or 2 if you want more to yourself). Start by browning your rice in a large saucepan over medium heat. Just drizzle your pan with vegetable oil and add your cup of rice.

While the rice is browning, dice your onion and tomato and set aside.

This is going to be soo good

Make sure you keep an eye on your rice because you don't want it to burn. Now, it's mandatory you take in the smell of your rice cooking - it smells so good right? (Focus Monica) Okay, your rice will be done when it's a nice golden color. When this happens, it's time to add the tomato and onion.

Let the onions and tomato get soft, it should take a few minutes. You'll notice that the rice will get a little orange tint from the tomato. When it's ready add your water. This part is really really important - this is where you add all the flavor.

These are all the ingredients you'll need to flavor the rice - three things. Can you believe it? You can't beat the simplicity.

 Add about a tablespoon of tomato bouillon. If you add too much you're rice will end up really salty. Mix it around and taste it. Make sure you add as much as you feel comfortable with (like I said, I usually one tablespoon - or a big spoonful). I go by the taste and color of the water to tell when it's done (just like grandma). Whatever your water tastes like, your rice will taste like when it's done.

Now add some pepper and garlic powder. I don't have measurements for this, so if I HAD to say how much I would say about 9 shakes of pepper and 3 of garlic powder. Now, stir and taste. See how you like it. I don't add a lot of salt to the things I cook but if you're like Michael and you can't get enough it, go ahead and add some.

When everything is mixed, cover your rice.

I also don't have a time for how long you should cook this. If your rice is on medium heat then it should take about 15 minutes. Keep your eye on it though. If the water looks like it's almost gone taste the rice and if it's still crunchy then add about a 3/4-1 cup more water. Depending on how much longer your rice needs to cook, put the lid back on.
As you can see below, when the water was almost gone for mine, the rice still wasn't as soft as I like it so I added about 1/2 a cup and put the lid  back on. About 7 minutes later (I know this is random time to get specific) I took the lid off and let the rice cook.

1 more cup of water added.

After about six more minutes with the lid on and then a few with it off, and stirring constantly, my rice was done. One thing about the stirring, make sure it's more of a folding because you don't want to mush up your rice by over-stirring. It'll still taste good, but it'll be mush and that's not good eats.

I also heated up some leftover tamales in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes flipping them every 8 minutes (hopefully I can get a post up when we make them over Christmas).

When everything was done we were able to eat. I think there were long moments of silence from us while we ate. It was so worth it!...