Healthy Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers

I've had a lot going on lately and the rest of this month is not going to be slowing down. I'm going to Orlando for work this Saturday-Wednesday (I know, poor me, right?), my roommate/best friend is moving out next weekend, Tom is moving in the weekend after, my semester is coming to an end soon, and I have another conference in Connecticut toward the end of the month. Lots of good things in the works, but it all makes me a little anxious. I used to jam pack my schedule as much as possible in high school and college, but these days, I really enjoy (and need) my down-time.

I'm so excited about these shoes. I am definitely a flat shoe kind of person but these babies just make me so happy when I look at them. I'm also learning to embrace skinny jeans. They just look so cute with a flowy top and some flats. That bathing suit that I was so excited about came through and also looks great! I never feel comfortable in a bathing suit but I feel so good in this one that I may actually take a picture of myself in it and post it here (gasp!) just so you can see how good it looks for such little money. I'm not a fan of Walmart in general. In fact, I almost never shop there, but they really hit it out of the park with this suit.

In other news, my weight loss journey continues. I'm down 5 pounds since that fateful doctor appointment. Every recipe I see now, I figure out ways I can keep it as low-carb and high in protein and fiber as possible, prompting my latest creation. I was reading the latest version of Clean Eating magazine when I came across their version of stuffed peppers. Their version called for beef, no rice or rice substitute, and a bunch of spices that I didn't already have in my cabinet that I didn't want to buy for one recipe. My recipe is packed with protein, fiber, and simple ingredients that I already had on hand. The only thing I had to go out and buy was the ground turkey and the peppers. I bought red peppers because they were on sale, but I liked the sweetness up against the slight heat from the cayenne pepper, but you can use whichever color of bell pepper you prefer. You could also easily make these more complex by adding jalapenos, cilantro, or other traditional flavors found in Mexican cooking. 

I hope you'll enjoy the recipe below as much as I did!


Healthy Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers
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Ingredients

6 large bell peppers (any color)

1 head cauliflower

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ cup yellow onion, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup water

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

3 tablespoons low sodium taco seasoning

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut tops off peppers and remove insides and seeds. Cut part of bottom if needed to make them stand up. Put in a large stock pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and boil for 3-5 minutes.
3. Remove leaves and stems from cauliflower head. Cut into florets. Place in blender or food processor and blend on pulse until it resembles rice. Set aside 3 cups of cauliflower for this recipe and save the rest for later.
4. Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add garlic and onion and sauté until onions start to be translucent. Add turkey. Cook until browned and drain any excess fat.
5. Add remaining ingredients. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes.
6. Stand par-cooked peppers up in a large casserole dish. Spoon mixture evenly into peppers. Cover with aluminum foil and let bake for 30 minutes.