Monday, April 15, 2013

SRC- 2 fer Stuffed Peppers and Loose Meat Sliders

My assignment this month for the Secret Recipe Club was Suzanne's blog    Thru the Bugs on My Windshield
 She is actually one of the founding members of The Secret Recipe Club so I was excited.   And even though she's got some issues with her blog, ( some links don't work)  I found a recipe and made it and it was good.   I love stuffed peppers anyway, but haven't found 'the recipe' to make them yet.  But this is pretty darn close, oh who's kidding who?  I'll make them like this again and again and again. .  And then I could use the leftover meat for Sliders.   Wait, can I post about making a two-fer?    Too bad, I did.    2-fer is the title of the link, really...

The Secret Recipe Club is a fun idea, bloggers are assigned a blog from another member to make something from.   And until the 'Reveal' day, you have no idea who has your blog or what recipe they will choose from your blog.   And it's always fun to see what someone does with one of your recipes, they tweak, they twiddle, and most of the time, improve on it.  I'm not one who goes looking at a lot of food blogs, just don't have the time, so this gets me out of my comfort zone and looking at new ideas as well.  

At any rate, I got all the ingredients together, realized I didn't have any more sun dried tomatoes so I cut up a Roma tomato, very thin, sprinkled it with some olive oil and a touch of salt and threw it into the oven for 60 minutes at 200 degrees, then I upped it to 300 degrees for another 30 minutes  (I didn't waste that heat either, I was cooking some chicken so I could make dog food for my dog, and I had the frozen chicken in there with the tomato cause it needed to be thawed as well and she doesn't care how I do the chicken).


Once I made the 'fake' sun dried tomatoes I was ready to proceed.  I sauteed the beef, had the rice all cooked and ready to go, (I like to prepare the rice and let it cool first, it doesn't seem to absorb and swell as much that way).   Par cooked the peppers the way Suzanne suggested, and got busy stuffing...  Oh yeah, you par cook the peppers in microwave for about 2-4 minutes, no blanching here. 




I also used a 6 cheese shredded mixture, cause I had it on hand anyway.  

Ground Beef Mixture
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 medium Onion, diced
1 Tbsp Red Chile powder
1 Tbsp minced Garlic, fresh
Put fresh ground meat into frying pan along with all other ingredients and cook meat until browned. Drain fat if necessary.   You won't use all of this meat mixture, so you can save it for some loose meat sliders or something else entirely.


 Stuffed Peppers
2 Green Bell Peppers , tops cut off and seeded
1/2 pound Ground Beef Mixture (see recipe above)
1 1/2 cups cooked  Rice.   I love Uncle Ben's Converted Rice, but use whatever brand you like.
1/2 cup finely shredded Cheese, I used some leftover pizza cheese
7-8 pieces Sundried Tomatoes in olive oil, chopped or make your own from a ripe roma tomato you dried in the oven at 300 degrees for about an hour. 
2 teaspoons chopped scallions (I buy it in a little jar, keeps for up to two months in the fridge.)
3 Tbsp Tomato Paste (I love the paste in a tube, but if all you have is a can, then go ahead and open it, and freeze the rest in tablespoon measures, great for last minute additions)
2 Tbsp sliced Black Olives
1/2 cup sauteed Mushrooms
1 tsp. Cumin
Cut the tops off the peppers, just below the stem indentation. Take seeds out of the bottom and discard.  Use the tops for another recipe or just do what I do  and eat it.  Love fresh green peppers anyway.

Rinse peppers thoroughly and place in a small microwavable baking dish, open side up. Microwave on high for about 2-4 minutes, or until slightly steamed.   (by the way, this is also a great tip for mushrooms as well if you are making stuffed mushrooms, sorry couldn't help throwing in another hint.)
While the peppers are in the microwave, mix all the remaining ingredients, except for 1/4 cup of the cheese, in a large mixing bowl, or do as I did, mix it in the skillet.  Saved washing up another bowl. 
Remove peppers from microwave and stuff with your ground beef filling. Top with remaining cheese and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

(I only made one of these, as I'm the only one who eats stuffed peppers in this house, but oh was it good, I also added some sautee'd mushrooms as I had some made anyway.)

Now for the second part of the 2 fer.   Divide the rest of the meat into two or three portions, mound them on either small hamburger buns or small buns that have some ketchup and mustard spread on them.  Then just add some sliced onions, and pickles and maybe some cheese and serve.   Nice as a change of pace. 
Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

14 comments:

  1. Yum! We love stuffed peppers here, but the idea to use the filling on a slider bun is genius! Thanks for the inspiration - and the fake sun dried tomato tip, too. :)

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    1. I thought it was a great idea as well, and it fits in with my cooking philosophy as well, love having a back up meal in the freezer ready to heat and eat.

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  2. Mmm... these sounds really good. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. stuffed peppers is one of my favorites. Looks delicious.

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    1. I had forgotten how much I like stuffed peppers and it's gluten free as well, a win win situation for me.

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  4. We just love Stuffed Peppers, this looks like a great recipe! Great cooking with you in Group B.
    Miz Helen

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    1. Love cooking with you as well, this has been a fun journey. And stuffed peppers are definitely going to be featured for dinner more often in my house.

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  5. Stuffed peppers are so yummy, but that was a great idea for those who disagree - to use the filling on sliders! Great thinking, great choice!

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  6. Visiting from SRC's Group A. We love stuffed peppers. I might just have to make these tonight!

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    1. Try them, you'll like them. And welcome, always love visitors. Hope to see upi again.

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  7. Thank you soooo much for a wonderful blog post! I'm glad you enjoyed the "2-fer". Both of these make great meals for my husband and I. I'm going to get the issues fixed with my blog. In the mean time you are a wonderful blogger and I've enjoyed reading through you blog. Congratulations on a quite great post. Now that you've reminded me, I really NEED a stuffed bell pepper!

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    1. I love multi-use recipes, lol. Seriously I loved the flavor here and the 2 fer idea. Thanks for a keeper recipe.

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