Guest Post: Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Greetings Carrots ‘n’ Cake readers!

I am the face behind Kitchenbelle.com. I feature all sorts of recipes, from healthy and easy weeknight meals to special occasion feasts, to decadent desserts, cupcakes, tarts, and birthday cakes. The collection of recipes offers a little something for everyone, including gluten-free and vegetarian. I invite you to stop by and poke around–you never know what you might find! It is my hope you will be inspired to get into your kitchen and have some fun!

Four bits about me:

• Preparing meals and baking for family and friends makes me very happy.
• A few months ago, I did an internship with Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery. I tested recipes for The Flour Bakery Cookbook scheduled to release next fall.
• Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do. I could roam the aisles for hours and hours.
• Two of my most memorable meals include cassoulet from a small restaurant tucked in the corner of a side street in Rennes, France and a sandwich on crusty bread filled with fresh meats and cheeses drizzled with olive oil from a winery in Sonoma, California.

Each Sunday I like to prepare a meal that my husband and I can easily reheat and eat throughout the week. This is important especially during the summer when we tend to be in a million directions. Knowing that there is always a nutritious meal in the fridge gives me piece of mind. The recipe I will share today is perfect for this purpose. It is a clean eating recipe for Turkey Stuffed Peppers.

Peppers are a favorite in our household. Not only are they nutrient dense but they are easy to work with. Wild rice is also a favorite. (Did you know wild rice is actually not rice at all? It is the seed of a marsh grass.) Wild rice packs a lot of nutritional punch including about 4 grams of protein per serving.

I double this recipe and make about eight peppers on Sunday. Then, during the week we can easily toss one into Tupperware for lunch or pop in the microwave for dinner!

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

(adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, July/August 2009)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup wild rice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 10 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 sweet bell peppers (I like to use red, orange, and yellow)
• 2 ounces of mozzarella cheese
• an assortment of herbs such as oregano, parsley, and fresh basil, to taste
• sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring rice and two cups of water to boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan, and continue to boil for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, add oil and onions to a large pan over medium high heat. Sauté onions until they are soft then add garlic and cook for about one minute. Add the turkey, canned tomatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook until turkey is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add fresh tomatoes and cook covered for about five minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Fill a large pot half full with water and bring to a boil. Cut tops off from bell peppers and clean the insides of each by removing all seeds. Add bell peppers and tops to water and return to a boil. Cook until tender, about five minutes. (Don’t let them get too soft or they will fall apart.) Remove peppers from water and dry on paper towel.

Drain rice and add it to turkey mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix. In a glass dish, stand bell peppers and use a spoon to fill each pepper with turkey/rice mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and add bell pepper top to each. Bake for 15 minutes.