Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

I don't know if you noticed, but for a while there I wasn't really posting. I haven't been inspired to cook as much as usual, which is crazy, because it's summer and I'm home and only working part time. I'll be perfectly honest with you- I've been pretty lazy. But summer time makes many of us lazy, right (please say yes to make me feel better)? We're looking for something easy to throw on top of the grill and hope it will be amazing. It's also hot, so we're not thinking about turning on that oven or slaving away at the stove top. But still. I miss cooking. And I miss blogging! So I've made it my mission to cook and bake my way through August, before the kiddos and I head back to school.

Starting with these stuffed peppers. 

Holy moly.

I've never made stuffed peppers before. Where I've been don't ask me. I can not believe I've waited this long.

It's not even the peppers themselves really. It's the stuffing inside them! I'm obsessed. Unbelievably obsessed. I want to make this quinoa tomato southwestern mixture all.the.time. And I've got Rachel to thank for it. You must check out her blog. She just had a hot fudge week folks! You'll seriously be missing out if you don't. 

I halved the recipe because there are only two of us. But this is the original recipe. I also did not add chicken in the stuffing, feel free to do whatever you like!

Source: Not Rachael Ray

8 bell peppers (any color, I made three, but there are only two of us)
2 cups of cooked quinoa
1/2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 ears of corn, kernels cut away from cob (I had frozen corn and used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, cut into quarters
3-4 cooked chicken breasts, diced (omitted)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 heaping Tbsp taco seasoning
1.5 cups of cheese (I used cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350. Wash peppers and cut off tops. Discard seeds and ribs. In a very large bowl, mix together all other ingredients. Save a small bit of the cheese to sprinkle on top of the peppers.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Submerge peppers into water and boil for three minutes. Remove carefully and let cool until you are able to handle them.

Set peppers upright in a baking dish (probably a 9×13 for eight peppers, or an 8×8 for four peppers). Fill peppers with filling, pushing down gently and heaping up slightly on top. Sprinkle with extra cheese if desired. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until browned on top and heated through. Serve with more chopped fresh cilantro or fresh salsa.

Love. What's on your menu this week? Do you miss my weekly menus? That's another thing that's fallen off the back of the truck. Whoops.