$5 Dinner: Stuffed Peppers

I've posted several recipes for stuffed peppers on (never home)maker, but this new one was surely the most flavorful I've made in a long time. We tried shopping at a new grocery store this weekend because we heard the sales were fantastic there. The result? We spent around $70 versus our usual $60. And I was frustrated because all the store brand item were at least a quarter more expensive than when we shop at Wegmans. It's all a learning experience.

One deal we did find was on a bag of green peppers. 2 pounds for $3.50. At Wegmans they are usually $1.99/pound. So, not a steal, but helped offset the extra cents we paid for garbanzos.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

4 green peppers = $1.75
Frozen corn (equivalent to 1 can) = $.69
Can of pintos = $.69
Onion, garlic, olives, and spices = $1.00 (high estimate)
Cheese = $1.00 (high estimate)
TOTAL: $5.13


STUFFED PEPPERS

What you'll need . . .

• 4 small green peppers (or 2 large would work well -- more stuffed!) 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 medium cooking onion, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 can of corn, drained and rinsed or 1-1/2 cups frozen corn 
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1/2 can black olives, drained and chopped 
• 1 tablespoon chipotle seasoning 
• 1 cup shredded cheese (we used a mixture of Swiss and cheddar)

Method . . .

1. Set your oven to broil. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (or not, just more difficult cleanup) and place your green pepper halves on it -- cut side down. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on tops and softened. 
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Toss in the onions and garlic and cook for a couple minutes. 
3. Then add the corn, beans, and olives. Toss in the seasoning. Salt and pepper. And cook for around 5 to 10 minutes. 
4. Your green peppers should be cooled by now, flip them over so the cut side is up. Then fill each with a generous scoop of the bean mixture. Top with cheese. Then place in oven -- which should still be on broil -- and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly. 
5. Let cool to warm before serving.

PS: I was watching an Alton Brown show the other day (at least that's what I think it was), and he referred to the part of the inside of the pepper closest to my thumb as the placenta. Weird! (And, no, I didn't eat the pepper placenta.)


I'm off to research DIY kitchen remodels. I got this fantastic idea -- which is also CRAZY -- while I was running today. I just can't get it out of my head. I like to spend my time dreaming up how to change things. Everything. Most of my ideas fizzle out when I'm grounded by reality, our budget, or other logistics. We'll see what happens with this one!


Also, you may have noticed we've opened up the site to (a few, if you know anyone who is interested) sponsors. I don't mean to be obnoxious with it, but I could certainly use a few extra $$$ to help pay domain/etc. fees and other costs associated with running and creating content for a site. Thanks for your understanding!

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