Now is the time to head out to your local farmers market or farm stand and pick up some delicious peppers to use in your recipes. You can add peppers in stir-fry, salads, soups, stews or even for making some relishes.
Extending the Bounty
Peppers are available during the summer, but you can enjoy peppers all year long by preserving them. To learn some preservation methods, like freezing and canning and even how to make pepper relishes, read Preserving Peppers from our friends at Penn State Extension.
Featured Recipe
Zesty Stuffed Peppers
Serves: 5
Serving size: 1 stuffed pepper
Directions:
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- While the rice is cooking, brown the beef. Then drain and rinse the beef.
- Return to the pan and add chili powder (if using), salsa, tomato sauce and leftover vegetables.
- Cut off the tops of the peppers, scoop out the insides and seeds.
- When rice is done, mix with beef mixture.
- Spoon the rice and beef mixture into the peppers. Top with cheese.
- Place peppers on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees F.
Menu ideas:
Serve with a tossed salad, or steamed vegetables like broccoli or carrots.
Tips:
This is a great recipe to make in the summer when fresh peppers are in season and less expensive and when bags of green peppers are on special at the grocery store.
Instead of stuffing the peppers, cut up peppers and add to the hamburger when it is browning. When rice is done, add to hamburger mixture, along with all the other ingredients, expect the cheese, stir and then top with cheese and cook until mixture is hot and cheese has melted.
