Black Bean Chili Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
• 3 bell peppers
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• black pepper to taste
• 1 cup Mexican-blend shredded cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cut tops off peppers and remove the seeds and white parts from inside. Cut peppers in half to form two cups each.
3. In a large, wide pot, bring about 4 quarts water to a boil
4. Boil pepper halves about 3 minutes until they begin to soften. Remove them from the water, drain, and place in large rectangle baking dish.
5. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Add the beans and corn.
6. Add chili powder and cook for about two minutes until fragrant.
7. Add tomato sauce, and stir well, cooking until the chili mixture is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes. Add black pepper to taste.
8. Fill the pepper halves with chili mixture and top with cheese. There may be extra chili mixture depending on the sizes of peppers. (Keep it warm and serve on the side in case anyone wants seconds)
9. Cover with foil.
10. Bake 25 minutes covered. Uncover and bake about 5 minutes more.

Southwestern Cheesy Potatoes

A well-stocked freezer can sometimes compensate for not having fresh produce. Tonight's menu was tacos, but I discovered far too late that I was out of lettuce. Or a side dish besides frozen corn (which we'd had last night as our vegetable). So I improvised. Not saying that drenching potatoes and corn with cheese sauce is the nutritional equivalent of salad, but it is tasty.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped to 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 2 cups Southern style hash brown potatoes (the cubed kind)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2/3 cup milk
• 4 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
2. Saute the onion, bell pepper, and corn until lightly caramelized browned (about 5-10 minutes).
3. Add about 1/2 cup water to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom with a spatula to loosen all the onion/pepper fond.
4. Add potatoes, lower the heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook until the potatoes are warmed through.
5. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook until bubbly and lightly browning.
6. Whisk in the milk. Cook over medium-to-low heat, whisking frequently, until thickened.
7. Stir the cheese in to the milk, a little at time, stirring until each addition is fully melted and incorporated.
8. When the cheese sauce is fully mixed, pour over the potato-hash and stir well.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Easy Oven Roasted Asparagus and Peppers

This is a super-easy side dish. I usually prepare it in the oven, but it works well on a grill with a grill tray. You can add additional vegetables to the roasting pan--onions, zucchini, squash, mushrooms. Whatever you like that will fit on your baking sheet.

Ingredients

• One bunch fresh asparagus
• One red bell pepper, sliced into 1" thick slices
• Olive oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Fresh cracked pepper and sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a large rimmed baking sheet (jelly roll size) with a silicone baking mat or foil for easy cleanup.
2. Take one asparagus spear and break the cut end off. Trim the rest of the spears to approximately the same length.
3. Arrange asparagus and peppers (and any additional veggies) on the baking sheet.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper
5. Roast about 15-20 minutes until the veggies are cooked but not burnt. With the convection fan turned on, 15 minutes was perfect for fairly fat (my thumb sized) asparagus.