Un-Stuffed Peppers

So if you’re anything like me, you love the concept of stuffed peppers, but not so much the reality.  By the time the filling is cooked, the peppers are soggy, they’re hard to eat, and somewhat of a pain for a less than satisfying end result.  Un-stuffed peppers can be made in less than 30 minutes, in one pan, and is even more delicious than the stuffed version. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 cup cooked rice (white or brown are both fine)
• Salt & pepper

Dice the green pepper into large-ish pieces, about ¾ of an inch. 

Do the same with the onion. 

Cook the ground beef over medium heat chopping it into pieces. 

When it’s mostly cooked, go ahead and stir in the peppers and onions.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. 

Pour the salsa over the top and stir until everything is combined. 

Cover and allow it to simmer until the onions are translucent and the green pepper is just beginning to soften.  Mine took about 10 minutes or so. 

Stir in 1 cup of cooked rice.  As you know by now, I like to use the frozen kind from Trader Joes.  It really does make my life easier. 

Now was that easy or what?  It may not be as nice of a presentation as the whole pepper, but take a bite and all that will be forgotten.  Don’t you love it when a weeknight meal can be this good?

What fancy recipe would you like to see simplified?

Inspiration

and a bit of nothing in the house for breakfast.

I have long been a fan of spice cakes, and Taneasha's post (with lovely guest Elise Logan) totally reminded me of that. I also had no cereal or bread in the house this weekend. And grocery shopping on an empty (but caffeinated, always have coffee in the house) stomach is not a good idea. So, before I ventured forth to restock my pantry I needed some breakfast.

Cake!

What? If I'd made it in muffin tins, no one would even blink. But because I put it in a square pan and call it cake, it's no longer appropriate for breakfast?

Breakfast Cake

What you need:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 c melted butter
• 1 orange
• 1/2 c sugar (or honey, totally doing it with honey next time)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c flour
• 1 c almond flour (aka finely ground almonds)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp allspice

 

What you gotta do:

I suppose I should admit here that I was totally winging it with this one. Granted, I had recently bought some almond flour and had been researching recipes, but still, flying by the seat of my pyjamas on this one....

I did remember to preheat the oven to 350.

And to use some of the melted butter to butter an 8x8 square pan, and then also to butter the parchment that I lined the pan with. Didn't remember to take a pic to prove it though, so you'll just have to trust me. Trust me.

In a medium bowl, beat all 3 eggs with a fork. (Oh, um, I hadn't washed dishes either, so I was working with the bare minimum of tools). Beat in the melted butter and the sugar. And then add the zest from your orange. Yes, the whole orange.

In another bowl, combine the flours, spices, and salts (sodium bicarbonate is chemically a "salt").

At the last minute add the vanilla that you forgot to put in the ingredients pic to the egg bowl. Yes, there is yogurt in the pic, and no, I didn't use it. Changed my mind.

Now, dump the dry into the wet and mix with a fork.

And then dump it all into the pan.

I sprinkled mine liberally with cinnamon sugar. Perhaps a little too liberally...

I'm not convinced that an excess of cinnamon sugar is a bad thing, mind you.

Bake for 20 minutes.

When I poked it with a toothpick after 20 minutes, it was definitely done. But then the middle fell...

I'm not sure another 3-4 minutes would have made the difference in keeping the middle up though, because with only 1/2 cup of wheat flour, I was concerned about leavening anyway.

The batter definitely rose (likely mostly thanks to the eggs), but the lack of gluten may have made the structure a little flimsy at the points where it needed the most help.

Muffins might have been a better idea after all.

Sure tasted damn good. Amazingly moist too. Definitely need to try this one again.

Yay cake for breakfast!

What's your favourite questionable breakfast?