Southwest Stuffed Peppers

This is the mexican version of stuffed peppers. If you like tacos and stuffed peppers, this is the dish for you! Once you try these, you won't be able to get enough of them!

Recipe yields 6 servings

Ingredients

6 round bell peppers

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

2 tbsp taco seasoning

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 medium yellow onion

1 can salsa

1 cup brown rice

1 cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbsp olive oil

Heat the over to 400 degrees. Rinse peppers and slice. I have alway made these by slicing the peppers in half, but today I tried slicing the top off and keeping the pepper like a cup. Both ways work great, so it is just a matter of preference. Lightly coat peppers in olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until peppers are soft. While peppers are in the oven, cook ground turkey in skillet until cooked through.

Cook brown rice per directions on the package. Chop the yellow onion. Drain and rinse black beans. Drain corn. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked turkey, cooked rice, black beans, corn, onion, salsa and taco seasoning. Instead of using packaged seasoning, it is quick and easy to make your own! Look at my 'Healthy Tacos' recipe for my Homemade Taco Seasoning.

Remove peppers from oven and let cool for 10 minutes or so (that way you do not burn your fingers when trying to handle them). Spoon mixture into peppers. Return to oven and cook for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Caution: Peppers will be very hot when removed from oven. Serve warm and enjoy!

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

I am discussing this recipe today due to the many requests I have gotten from my brother to make it! I figured if he loves it so much, you guys might too! I've termed this a salsa but you can also call it a salad and use it as a side dish. Since my brother loves it with tortilla chips, I figured I would continue with the theme and go with salsa! Once you make this once, you will quickly realize how versatile and easy it is. As I mentioned, it goes great with tortilla chips, but it is also a great side dish to just about anything. Nothing is more satisfying on a warm summer night than a cold salad to go with your BBQ meal.

Recipe yields 6 servings

Ingredients

1 can sweet corn

1 can black beans 

1 large tomato

1/4 cup red onion

2 tbsp cilantro

Pinch of salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 lime, juice

1/2 tbsp olive oil

Drain the corn and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Drain and rinse the black beans and pour into the mixing bowl. Mince the red onion and add to the bowl. Mince the cilantro and add to mixture. Chop the tomato and add. 

Cover ingredients with the salt, pepper, olive oil and juice from one lime. Mix well. Cover the bowl with cellophane wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy with all your summer meals!

Buffalo Burger Quesadillas

For my second recipe, it is going to be a two-fer. I am going to share my deliciously simple pico de gallo (perfect to put together for a last minute guest or pre-planned BBQ) and a wonderful recipe I found on skinnytaste.com for buffalo burger quesadillas. Buffalo is a great substitute for beef because of its health qualities (it is much leaner than beef!). However, it can be more expansive than beef, so another healthy alternative to beef is ground turkey.

So let's get started on the pico de gallo...

Recipe yields about 2 cups

Ingredients
4 medium vine-ripe tomatoes
2 green chile peppers (about 3 inches long)
1/3 cup white onion
2 tbsp red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1 lime, juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Mince chile peppers, white onion, bell pepper, garlic and cilantro leaves. Chop tomatoes. Add all ingredients to mixing bowl. Add the juice from one lime. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients together. Cover with cellophane wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour for flavors to really develop.

Although I made the pico de gallo for my burgers, it also goes great with chips as a salsa dip or atop grilled chicken.

Now for the burger quesadillas:

Recipe yields 6 burgers (1/4 lb. each)

Note: This recipe was adapted from skinnytaste.com

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs lean ground buffalo 

2 cups pico de gallo
1 1/2 cups low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
12 small whole wheat flour tortillas (flour tortillas get nice and crispy, I prefer them over the corn tortillas)
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper

Form six evenly sized patties, as flat as you can. (Even when you think they are flat enough, make them flatter! It will make everything easier later on.) Season burgers with salt and black pepper. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat and lightly coat with cooking spray. When pan is hot, add burgers. Cook burgers 2-3 minutes on each side if you like your meat medium. (Cook longer or shorter based on your preferences.)

Once burgers are cooked to your liking, remove from the pan. Clean the pan and re-coat with cooking spray. Place a tortilla in the middle of the pan. (If your pan is big enough, you can do more than one at a time.) As noted above, I prefer whole wheat flour tortillas. I tried this recipe with both whole wheat flour tortillas and corn tortillas and the flour tortillas became crispy and had a much better flavor.

Spoon on 2-3 tbsp of pico de gallo and then sprinkle with cheese. (Helpful Hint: Put the pico de gallo down first and put the cheese on top, when the cheese melts it will hold the pico de gallo in place and avoid it from spilling out of your quesadilla later on!) Place the burger on top of the cheese. Add another helping of pico de gallo and another sprinkle of cheese prior to placing the second tortilla on top. Cook for 2 minutes and then gently flip the quesadilla. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until all cheese is melted.

I hope you enjoy my first two recipes!