Recipe Time: Stuffed Green Peppers

Now, this is one of those recipes that you can make a thousand different ways. Everyone will have their own tastes and flair for it, so, by all means, experiment. Here is the recipe I've been using lately:

Ingredients (per serving):

• 1 medium green pepper
• 1/4 yellow onion
• 2 tbsp. chicken stock
• approx. 3 oz. ground beef, extra lean
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 sprigs parsley (fresh is best, dried is fine)
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. dried basil
• grated pepper jack cheese

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Cut slice from top of pepper; remove innards
• Cook pepper shell in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain
• Wash/peel/dice onion
• saute' onion over medium-high heat with chicken stock until tender (add more chicken stock if needed); remove and set aside
• Mince garlic; add to ground beef and brown/drain; add onions, stir, and turn off heat
• Stir in spices
• Fill pepper shell with beef mixture and place in baking dish lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray (not 100% necessary, but it helps)
• Fill baking dish 1/4 inch deep with hot water; bake for 30 minutes
• Top with shredded cheese immediately upon removal from oven

Now, that's the basics. I tend to serve it with some rotini pasta and marinara on the side. Some people like to add diced celery along with the onion, or use more garlic (I do) or different spices. Try adding rice to your beef mixture, or some spicy tomato sauce (or both!). I don't like eggs, personally, but you might like adding a couple tablespoons of fat-free egg substitute with the spices.

Make the recipe your own. It's very customizable. As made above, with the pasta on the side and a salad, it hits at right about 500 calories (so, without the pasta and salad, it'd be less).