Friday, February 25, 2011

STUFFED PEPPERS & IDOL UPDATE

It's ok. I know I'm awesome. Last night, I multitasked. I cooked dinner while watching American Idol. Holla! I would chop and then race to the tv, stir and come back to the tv, etc. I'm pretty cool like that. Oh, but how I wish I had a tv in the kitchen! The good news - Tim made it to the top 24! Get ready to do some voting next week.


In attempt to eat healthier, I decided to make stuffed peppers using a recipe from on of my fav healthy eating sites http://www.skinnytaste.com/. That and I told Andrew I would make a killer dinner for him to look forward to after working a LONG 12 hour day...

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 2 halves • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 303.7 • Fat: 5.9 g • Protein: 29.9 g • Carb: 34.9 g • Fiber: 6.5 g
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 half red bell pepper
1/4 cup parsley (or cilantro)
5 bell peppers (red or green)
14 oz shredded cooked chicken breasts
cumin
adobo (or salt)
15.5 oz can white beans
1/2 cup shredded cheddar


Cut peppers in half removing seeds and stem. Place peppers in an oven-proof dish. - Next time, I'm saving this duty for Andrew. 




In a medium pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add chopped onions, garlic, parsley and red pepper. Saute until soft, about a minute. - Ummm. I forgot to get parsley at the store. Fail. And, I couldn't find my dried stuff. Oh, well.


Add chicken and season with cumin and adobo. - Easy peasy. (Is peasy even a word?)

Add beans and 1 to 1-1/2 cups of water and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until it thickens and the liquid reduces. Adjust spices to taste. - My sauce was not getting any thicker and I added less than 1 cup of water. Also, I was becoming impatient - it was after 7pm.
Preheat oven to 350°.

Fill each pepper with 1/3 cup of chicken and bean mixture. Pour about 1/3 cup water or chicken broth on the bottom of the dish. 




Cover tight with foil. Bake 30 minutes at 350°. Remove foil, top with cheese and bake uncovered another 5 minutes.


Final thought: I would give it more spice next time and add some tomatoes. I don't think a little cheese or rice mixed in would hurt either. I'm pretty sure that these are impossible to screw up no matter what you put inside. Be fearless, make stuffed peppers.

1 comment:

  1. one thing i've found when cooking stuffed peppers, is to boil the peppers in water for a few minutes before adding the inside ingredients and baking. It makes them more tender then crunchy in the end. - if you like tender over crunchy. :) looks yummy!

    ReplyDelete