A Little of This and a Little of That

I'm starting to see a pattern. It's a good pattern. With food costs going up more and more each day (I will not grumble about this here), I've learned to really cut back. My "cut backs" though are not in the way I buy my food. I've always been pretty thrifty and a big label reader- one skill I can say I have out of many I don't. I walk up and down comparing prices and ingredients to get the most bang for my buck. It takes me more than an hour and a half to do my shopping. Anyway, back to my point, my cut backs are how I use my groceries. I've been trying to think outside the box on how to use up every little bit of leftover from various meals that sit inside my fridge. Usually, I would just throw them out after awhile. These days I turn them into meals (see last posting).

I'm forever making tacos in our house. It's easy and cheap. If the leftovers aren't eaten or turned in taco salad (great for lunch the next day), then I turn them into stuffed peppers! These peppers were filling, so only half a pepper per person is needed. It was such a great way to change the pace in our house!



Southwestern Stuffed Peppers
for 4 stuffed peppers

This recipe can vary depending on how much leftover you actually have.

2 cups leftover taco meat (we use ground turkey mixed with a can of black beans)
2 cups leftover Spanish rice
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced finely
2 cups (depending on how much leftovers you have and how many peppers you are making) of Monterrey jack cheese (or whatever you have on hand)
1 cup (depending on how much leftovers you have and how many peppers you are making) of good quality salsa
handful of chopped scallions
2 large green (or red) peppers sliced

In a skillet, brown onion and garlic in about tbsp of olive oil. Add leftover taco meat, leftover Spanish rice, and salsa. Heat all the way through. Slice green peppers in half and clean out the seeds and spine on the inside. Spray the outside of the peppers with olive oil and stuff the peppers with the meat and rice mixture. Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until green peppers are slightly soft to the touch. Top with cheese and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with scallions and a spoonful of sour cream.

Note: You can add just about anything to this mixture- avocados, more beans, any other leftover veggies. It's very versatile!