"Whatever-Can-Be-Found" Stuffed Peppers

I've only ever made stuffed peppers twice (that I can remember), and the first time was better than the most recent.  The first time I was actually trying to make them taste good, and this time I was just throwing whatever I could find in to make a meal that would fill our bellies.  Unfortunately, I didn't find much but three green bell peppers that desperately needed to be used, whole-grain rice (not the instant kind - what a pain in the butt!), canned tomato sauce, black beans, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Oh, and Italian-style meatballs for the non-wegan's portion.  I also had some hamburger buns that needed to be used so I made those into makeshift garlic bread!  So, if you ever have some bell peppers you need to use and not much else in the house, think of this recipe!

Monday Night's "Whatever-Can-Be-Found" Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
3-1/2 bell peppers
2-1/4 to 2-1/2 c. cooked rice
3/4 c. black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. oil
garlic powder
Italian seasoning

Directions:
1) Cook rice as indicated on package.

2) Cut the tops of the peppers off and remove inside core and seeds.  I used my hands to get some of it out and also ran each pepper under water to remove all seeds.

3) Chop the remaining 1/2 pepper and saute it in a pan on the stove top with 1 Tbsp. oil, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to your taste.  (I used generous amounts of garlic, probably close to 1 Tbsp.)  You can use an onion instead of green pepper if you have one. 

Once it is tender, remove from heat and add black beans and tomato sauce.  Stir until well-mixed.


4) Spoon rice mixture into peppers evenly.  Place stuffed peppers into baking dish.  Cover.

5) Bake at 450 degrees until peppers are tender.  Serve with your favorite side dish.

For "Makeshift" Garlic Bread:  Separate 2 hamburger buns into 4 halves on foil.  Spread butter generously on top and sprinkle generously with garlic powder.  Place in the oven on high broil for two minutes or until lightly toasted.

And there you have it.  Making nothing into something.  It wasn't the greatest meal ever, but it did what it was suppose to do ... it put nutrition into our bellies and filled us up!  However, the next time I make stuffed peppers, I'm going back to how I made them the last time ... if I can remember!

This is what they looked like last time I made them with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes (another good recipe I'll have to post on here soon!)