YOUR PRODUCE MAN'S
STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Your Produce Man says that the best way to pick out a Bell Pepper is by weight first. It should feel heavy for its size, which indicates the walls are thick. Also, the skin should be shiny, and should squeak when you rub your thumb on it. The skin should not wrinkle, an indication of dehydration.

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
2 ea Yellow Onions (diced)
4 clove Garlic (minced)
1 ea Bell Pepper (diced)
4 ea Bell Peppers (large for stuffing)
1 ea Corn (cut kernels off)
3 TBS Italian Seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley, etc)
1 can Tomato Sauce (12 oz)
1 can Tomato Paste (small)
4 oz. Olive Oil
4 cups Cooked Rice
To taste Salt
Instructions:
· To prepare 4 bell peppers, slice the stem end, making only a small hole, just large enough to get the seeds and ribs out.
· Cook rice to make 4 cups.
· Heat 2 oz. Olive oil in large sauce pan.
· Saute onions, corn, garlic and the diced bell pepper, until the bell pepper is translucent.
· Drain oil back into the pan. Fry the ground beef until brown. By frying the meat in the "flavored oil," which was used to saute the onions, corn, peppers and garlic, the meat has better flavor.
· Add Italian Seasoning, salt and tomato sauce. Simmer. Thicken with tomato paste. Add cooked rice.
· Fill the peppers with the stuffing mixture. Coat the peppers with Olive Oil and put into a baking dish, making sure they each stand up. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, or until skin is tender. (Poke the pepper skin with a fork to check for tenderness.)
Optional:
Once you've filled the peppers, you can top it with ketchup, taco or BBQ sauce.
If you have a favorite spaghetti sauce recipe using vegetables and meat, you can go ahead and use that sauce. Simply add the cooked rice.