Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients
6-8 med bell peppers (use any color you wish, according to taste, but be sure they are round and squat)
1 1/2 lbs of lean ground beef (any ground meat will work- I invite you to experiment, in the spirit of this recipe tradition.)

1 med red or yellow onion, chopped fine

2-4 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped fine

3 Cans (14.5 oz size) Italian style stewed tomatoes
3-4 cups of Instant Rice (Minute Rice is best. Use 1/2 cup per pepper)
Italian seasonings
Salt and Pepper to taste
1-2 Cups of grated Cheese (I use Mild Cheddar and Monterey Jack mixture)
Water as needed

Directions
Wash peppers. Cut tops from peppers and remove all seeds and pulp from inside of pepper, set tops aside. Place peppers upside down in deep pot, on top of steamer basket, just covering steamer basket with water. Steam peppers over medium heat until cooked completely. Do not overcook.
Meanwhile, take chopped onion and garlic and saute until almost translucent in large pot. Remove any pepper "meat" from the tops you laid aside, and add to onion and garlic at the same time you add the meat. Add meat, and cook until browned completely. Season meat with italian seasonings, salt and pepper to taste, while cooking. Drain all fat from meat. Return meat to pot.

Using a food processor (or your hands, though it's a bit messier) chop(or smash) stewed tomatoes and add to meat mixture, add all liquid from can as well. Bring just to a boil, on med high heat. Add instant rice, mix well. (if it looks as though there is not enough liquid for the rice to absorb and be fully cooked, you may add water at this point. Just add about a 1/4 cup at a time. Bring back to a boil, and then reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is fully cooked.

When peppers are fully cooked, very carefully, using tongs, remove the peppers from pot and place top up in 13" X 9" baking pan (I like glass best, and suggest using a cooking spray on bottom and sides of pan) Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. When rice mixture is fully cooked, spoon into peppers. I like to fill them about halfway, then spoon rice mixture directly into pan to hold them in place. Then filling the peppers remainder of the way, until each pepper is full of rice mixture and pan is full as well. (Trust me, there will be more than enough rice mixure for this.) Sprinkle grated cheese over entire pan, and place in oven for no more than about 30 minutes (Until cheese is melted and bubbly.) Let sit about 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6-8 with leftover's for very tasty quesadillas- just put the rice mixture in a flour tortilla, with a little more cheese, and mmm, mmm, mmm!

Note: picture is not of this recipe but was taken from a recipe on AllRecipes.com for a similar dish.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients
1 lg yellow onion
1 lb of bacon
2 cloves of garlic (or 2-3 TBS of garlic powder, whichever you prefer)
2 14.5 oz cans Italian style Stewed Tomatoes
16 oz bag of lentils
5 cups water
2 beef boullion cubes (or 2 cups of beef broth)

Chop bacon into small pieces. Brown bacon in large pot, dice onion and garlic very small and cook with bacon. Add 5 cups of water (I did not drain the bacon first, but you may if you like.) Add rinsed lentils. Add juice from cans of Tomatoes, smash tomatoes into smaller chunks. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. All done!! Very easy and not a lot of mess. Enjoy on those cool fall nights! Makes a great Sabbath prep meal too, since it makes a large pot of lentils. Blessings to you!!!

"Leftover" Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients
2-3 lg fully cooked, diced, chicken breasts (baked the night before
3 C. (approx) Chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni cooked according to package instructions (again from night before)
1- 10.75 oz can Campbell's Southwest Style Nacho Cheese soup
1- 10.5 oz can Aunt Penny's white sauce (or any white sauce)
1/4 C water
1 TBS Chili powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp onion powder (or to taste)
8-12 Corn Tortillas
2-3 C Taco flavored grated cheese (from the bag)
Splash of water (approx 2 TBS)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mix together soup, white sauce and 1/4 C water in medium saucepan, cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until hot. Reduce heat to low or set aside.  Place diced chicken and rice in microwave safe casserole or bowl with lid, season with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Add splash of water (just enough to ensure moistness of rice.) Mix well. Cover with lid and heat just until hot (heating times will vary.)   On microwave safe plate, place corn tortillas and wrap with paper towels, or light dish towel/ cloth napkin. Heat just until warmed and pliable. approx 30 sec- 1 minute.  In 11X9" glass baking dish, place 1/4 C of sauce, spread over bottom of baking dish. Place heated corn tortillas one by one, in baking dish, place a spoonful of chicken and rice mixture in tortilla, sprinkle light amount of cheese on chicken mixture, roll tortilla and push to edge of pan. Repeat until all tortillas are used or pan is full. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce spreading evenly across all. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top, evenly. Heat in 350 degree oven until sauce is bubbly and cheese is fully melted (about 20-25 minutes.) Serves 8-12. Bon Appetit!


HINT: This recipe will only take approx 20 minutes to prep if using leftovers. Plan on approx 30-45 additional minutes if making with uncooked chicken and rice in one day.