Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Man, I must be all about the stuffed peppers! Switching gears from Italian to Mexican this time though, for yet another meal that is friendly to a law student budget (aka cheap). I got this recipe from Thursday Night Smackdown. I foresee many other recipes coming from there thanks to the "cheap a** mondays." Good stuff, too. Check it out.

This recipe (if it can be called that thanks to its versatility and ease) was delicious! I made what was supposed to be 3 servings (one and a half peppers stuffed with rice-y goodness), but it was so good, I ended up making it only 2 servings (I was really hungry and could not resist the cheesy goodness!). Even after making the 3 servings, I had plenty of rice mix leftover which I popped in single serving size baggies in the freezer to be used on other, cheap eats nights.

This recipe will be the first one entered into my 3 new categories: cheap, easy and frozen. While the first 2 sound like a high school boy's ideal date, they are really categories many full grown boys are looking for in dinner. I was talking with the boy this weekend and he mentioned how he never knew which recipes he could pull off, so the "easy" section is for him. If it were 1950 and home-ec was still only taught to girls, I would call it the "boy capable food" section. But, welcome to the 2000s! The cheap category is pretty self explanatory and will hold the food I will make on weeks when the loans start running out. Finally, frozen will be the category of food that freezes well for quick meals later. Hope this helps!

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

serves 2 plus leftover rice stuffing for later

1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and halved
2 cups cooked yellow rice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 10 oz. can black beans, drained
1 10 oz can corn, drained
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
handful of cilantro, chopped
5 oz. shredded Mexican four cheese

sprinkling of taco seasoning

Pre-heat your oven to 375.

Put the cooked rice, 4 ounces of the cheese, and the cilantro into a large bowl. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the filling.

Add the olive oil to a medium skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until just turning golden, 6-7 minutes; add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the beans, corn, cumin, chili powder and cook for a few minutes to combine the flavors. Check the seasoning and adjust the salt.

Add the bean mixture to the rice, cheese and cilantro and stir to combine.

Lay the pepper halves in a baking dish and heap with stuffing. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until peppers are crisp-tender. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes of cooking to brown the cheese, if you like.

Put any leftover filling in single serving size ziplocs and freeze. When ready to use, defrost in the fridge overnight and fill peppers as directed and top with cheese and bake.