Vegitarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

As I mentioned in my last post, we are trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diets and limiting the amount of meat we eat. So I have been trying to find yummy alternatives to our usual dinners. I came across this recipe and decided I would try it. (Although the Hubs doesn't like black beans OR bell peppers, I thought I would try anyway). I thought these were delicious...my kids loved the filling, and it passed the Hubs test (although he said they would be better with pinto beans next time.....um, YUCK). Here is the recipe...without pinto beans ;-)

3 bell peppers (I used orange)
2 cups prepared rice (I used brown, but I think any kind would work fine)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained well
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder

wash and cut the bell peppers in half length-wise

mix rice, beans, cheese, salsa, and spices together

fill the peppers up to the brim and then place them in a glass baking dish covered with foil

cook at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 30 min.


This recipe is super versitile...the original recipe called for green chilies and 1/2 cup frozen corn, but I didn't have either so I omitted both. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

My husband and I decided that we are going to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diet and get rid of most of the meat (more on this later). Anyhow, I have been looking for great recipes to make and I came across this Butternut Squash soup recipe....I tweaked it a bit and it turned out delicious! The only change I would make next time is making it a bit thicker and adding some heat to it (couldn't add the heat this time because of the kiddos). Also, the original recipe called for celery, but I don't necessarily like the flavor of cooked celery, so I omitted it. Enjoy!

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion chopped
two garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 32 ounce container of chicken stock
Salt, garlic powder, and pepper to taste

Bake the squash at 350 degrees for 1 hour,
once its cool, you should be able to just peel off the skin and pull the squash away from the seeds.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and saute the garlic, onion, carrots and potatoes for five minutes
Add 1/2 of the container of chicken stock and simmer for about 20 min

Once the squash and the simmered veggies are cool (this is important so that the glass in your blender doesn't crack) put all ingredients into blender with another cup of chicken stock
and blend until smooth, adding more chicken stock as needed. Also, the chicken stock will either make your soup runny or thick depending on how much/little you add, so keep this in mind as you blend it.

This soup is usually served with sour cream on top, but I forgot it at the store and wasn't willing to go back out :) I served it with a fresh baked loaf of white bread and it was delicious!