mexican stuffed peppers

this week, i thought we'd shake up our usual stuffed pepper recipe with a mexican twist. i'm not a fan of black beans, but you could add them into the mix as well! and if you're keeping it slim for swimsuit season you could always substitute quinoa for the rice.

| ingredients |

6 multi colored bell peppers
1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
3 cups cooked rice
1 1/4 cups salsa, divided
1 tablespoon chopped jalapenos
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheese

| method |

cut the tops off the peppers and discard, removing the seeds. in a dutch oven boil the peppers for 3-5 minutes. drain and rinse in cool water and set aside.

in a skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion and celery over medium heat, and when done, drain. stir in the rice, 1 cup of salsa, jalapenos, chili powder and salt. spoon the mixture into the peppers.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees, coat a 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray and add 1/4 cup of water to the dish. place the filled peppers into the baking dish, cover with foil and bake 45-50 minutes, or until heated through. remove the foil, sprinkle the peppers with salsa and cheese and bake 2-3 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.

serve while warm alongside tortilla chips and enjoy!