So, I thought I had grabbed pictures when I first made this delicious entree, but I can't find them in my camera :-( I am making this again sometime this week so I will add the pictures then.
Background and Inspiration: Two hungry, meat-&-sweet fasting people wanting a little more pizzazz than just raw salad and protein shakes.
I had the idea, looked for recipes online but found none I liked. I saw a few recipes that had the cooking times on them, but other than that, I just decided what I wanted to put inside these delicious green peppers. My husband and I love fresh, spicy flavors, so this recipe might not be for everyone, especially those who can't imagine not having meat for dinner... lol...(ideas at the end of recipe..)
To start off, for two (and a half) servings, you need:
-2 Extra Large bell peppers, (I used green..less acidic when you're already working with tomato)
-about 1/2 can 14 oz can of black beans (you can use more if you want), rinsed and drained
-chopped fresh cilantro (as much as you'd like! I like a LOT.)
-about 7 scallions, chopped
-1/2 jalapeno, chopped
-4-6 Roma tomatoes, diced
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
With a small paring knife, cut a hole on top of the bell pepper, making sure to leave some edge in place to envelop your mixture. Remove spines and seeds. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with oil.
Add black beans, cilantro, scallions, jalapenos, and tomatoes to small mixing bowl. Make sure ingredients are well mixed. Spoon mixture into bell peppers. Fill 'em to the brim!
Finally, spray or rub your bell peppers very lightly with cooking oil.
Bake on 375 for about 30-45 minutes. It really depends on how you want your bell peppers. The longer they're in, the softer they are.
You can add more beans, or even add ground chicken as a healthy meat option! To keep it healthy, try to stay away from those seasoning packets filled with salt and just buy some ground cumin for that smokey mexican flavor. With chicken added, this very amount of veggies and beans could easily fill 4 large bell peppers.
You may be surprised that there are NO seasonings in this recipe. They don't need it. They are SO full of flavor and so good for you. The sweetness from the peppers, the spicy from the (optional) jalapeno, and the lovely cilantro, you don't even need a dash of cumin or even salt. But feel free to add a sprinkle of salt or even some minced garlic to the mix. Especially if you don't add jalapeno and/or cilantro!
What did I spend on this meal?
Bell Peppers: $1.48 @ .74cents each.
Roma Tomatoes: About $1.33 for 5.(depending on price/lb.)
jalapeno: .13 cents. Really.
Can Black beans, Great Value Brand: about .64 cents.
Cilantro: .88 cents.
Scallions: I think its like a buck and change for a whole bunch of them.. I wanna say 1.40 for probably 13?
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$5.86.
But here's the deal: $5.86 didn't go toward just one meal. You have leftover beans, scallions, jalapeno, and cilantro (and maybe even mixture) for a whole other meal. Make a spicy soup, add some brown rice to the mixture for some beans and rice, make your own salsa, or get some tortillas and ground chicken for another healthy, cheap meal. There are so many options! And for just $2.49 for over a pound of hormone free ground chicken, thats a meal that goes a LONG way with lots of leftovers. =D You could also add cooked rice into the mix instead of beans and have refried beans as a side, or have mexican rice as a side! Its endless, really.
If you tried this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments!
