It’s Guest Chef Wednesday! This recipe was inspired by our dear friend and Once Upon a Spice follower, Jana Young Baron. These peppers provide a Mexican twist to traditional stuffed pepper recipes. Tangy, pungent, savory, slightly spicy and extremely satisfying! These luscious, Mexican inspired green orbs are sure to be a welcomed addition to your already overflowing recipe box! Well worth the addition! Estoy muy emocionada!!

Ingredients:

2 ½- 93% lean ground beef, chicken or turkey

4 green peppers, you may also use yellow or orange bell or a combination

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup white or yellow onion, chopped fine

½ cup red bell peppers, chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, chopped or sliced thin

1 cup, brown rice, prepared

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed & drained

1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp  Garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp Cumin, ground

1/4 tsp, cayenne pepper

1 tomato medium, chopped

1 egg

1/4 cup Alcaparrado (manzanilla olives, pimientos, capers) or green olives, chopped

Kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste

1 cup cheddar or Mexican cheese of choice, shredded; you may also use a blend

¾-1 cup, prepared salsa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cut tops from whole peppers, remove seeds and membranes. Parboil tops and peppers for 5 minutes. Drain, set aside to cool. In a medium sized skilled, heat olive oil and sauté onion, 1/2 cup chopped red peppers and garlic until golden. Cool slightly. In a medium sized bowl add raw ground meat, brown rice, black beans, cilantro, seasonings, chopped tomato, olives, egg, sautéed vegetables and salt and pepper to taste. Stuff each green pepper until full. Place in large baking pan, stuffed sides up. Top each pepper with equal amounts of prepared salsa. Place tops back onto peppers and bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove caps and top each pepper equally with shredded cheese, put back into oven and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and additional chopped cilantro as a garnish.