Dinner Is Served: Stuffed Bell Peppers

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About 60% of the week, I have dinner out. Can you blame me? San Francisco does have countless options when it comes to grabbing a bite to eat. You can find just about every cuisine imaginable within the city limits. So I never really exhaust my excuse of not wanting to cook because I want to try a new restaurant from such and such a place. 

And usually about once a week I have cereal for dinner. Mainly on that one night a week when I get tired of adulting. Nothing feels more nostalgic than a bowl of Fruity Pebbles (The Gluten Free version, duh!); and this meal is perfectly paired with 90s R&B blasting in the background. Oh the 90s! Everything seemed so carefree and easy. And plus anything TLC was my cup of tea! 

Anyway, for the couple of times a week I do cook at home, I try my best to make simple, healthy, and delicious meals that are as colorful as my Fruity Pebbles. 
{The chorus to TLC's Waterfalls is pretty much my cooking philosophy - Keep it simple and work with what you've got}

Depending on what is available at my local Farmers' Market, I love to make stuffed bell peppers. The ingredients should consist of: 

• large bell pepper
• a variety of veggies
• some type of protein
• some type of grain or rice
• herbs for seasoning

This is the version I whipped up most recently:

Ingredients: (~1 serving size) 

• 1 bell pepper
• 1/8 c. corn kernels 
• 2 tbsp chopped onions
• 1/4 tomato - chopped
• 3 tbsp sage ground sausage
• 1 tbsp shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 tsp of thyme 
• 4 leaves of italian parsley
• 1/8 c. of cooked white rice
• salt and pepper (optional) 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cook ground sage sausage over a medium/low heat
3. In a separate pan, cook corn, tomatoes, and onions over a medium/low heat (~5 mins) 
4. Stir in the rice to the vegetables and turn off the heat
5. Once ground sausage is fully cooked, add to vegetables and rice
6. Sprinkle thyme and parsley in the mixture
7. Slice top off the bell pepper
8. Fill bell pepper with rice mixture
9. Place on a oven safe pan
10. Bake for 20 minutes
11. Remove from oven
12. Top with shredded cheddar
13. Garnish with parsley leaf
14. Now enjoy! 

I normally pair this with sparkling water, a few berries, and a splash of lemon. 

Hope you like it! If you like to mix it up a little, definitely let me know what personal touches you make to this easy meal! 

- Marie-Claire