I’m trying to get my kids to subscribe to the theory that red food always tastes good. Come on, try it, it’s red flavor! Strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, cranberries, beets, peppers, ketchup even. Doesn’t red food always taste good?It’s not working. Adrian doesn’t like red peppers. End of story.
At our house you get props for putting food in your mouth. Chewing and swallowing is considered extra-credit. This pepper went in the mouth and out exactly twice tonight, which is a fair shot. The beans too underwhelmed the preschool pallet, but the filling was a success to a point. About 2/3 of the way through the meal he tried to politely excuse himself stating, “I’m just gonna have some waffles.” (When have we ever done that?) But once he figured out there would be no waffles and in fact no more food until breakfast he reconsidered and sat back down to finish dinner.
For the baby we took the rice and beef filling and pureed it with some beans and cheese, and stirred in a little bit of the tomato sauce to give it a little kick. I gave him a few bites of squash of my plate as finger food. He gobbled it up without a fuss.
| Stuffed Peppers and Green and Yellow Beans |
- FOR THE FILLING
- Garlic
- Onion
- Fresh oregano
- Ground Beef
- Rice (cooked)
- FOR THE SAUCE
- Garlic
- Stewed tomatoes
- sauteed squash (left over from last night)
- pureed sun-dried tomato in olive oil
- Dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- /End of sauce
- Red Bell Peppers
- Grated dried up rinds of all the unwrapped cheese you have strewn about your fridge (or Parmigiano-Reggiano if unavailable)
- Green or Yellow Beans
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Slivered Almonds
- Salt
- Saute the garlic and onion
- Add beef to that mix and brown
- Add fresh oregano followed by cooked rice andsSet aside
- Make the sauce by cooking all the ingredients together in whatever manner you see fit
- Partially blend the sauce to your liking
- Half the peppers and stuff them with rice mixture
- Top with sauce
- Bake at 350 for one hour
- Top with cheese mixture and cook for a few more minutes or until the cheese is melted/crispy/however you like it
- For the beans, just trip them and saute in a little olive oil, garlic, and toasted almonds
