mexican stuffed bell peppers with chipotle roasted carrots

This is such a cook and crowd pleaser meal.  It’s easy to make, beautifully colorful, and delicious.  The carrots accompany this meal perfectly too.  Gotta give credit to my little one for the carrot seasonings.  Her inspiration source: many o’ episodes of America’s Worst Cook during a recent snowpocalypse in our area 🙂

hope this makes your belly smile…

Adapted from Broke and Bougie

Timing tip: Prepare the carrots first.  While they are roasting, prepare the stuffed peppers. Since the oven is at a slightly lower temperature than typical for roasting veggies, the carrots require more oven time.

Chipotle Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
1 bag organic carrots, washed and peeled
½ T. olive oil
Sea salt/pepper, freshly cracked
¼ t. paprika
1/8 t. chipotle powder

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Slice the carrots lengthwise.  Then, slice each half lengthwise again to create four quarters.  If too long, cut them in half to create “french fry size” guys.

In a mixing bowl, toss the carrots in the olive oil, salt/pepper, and dry seasonings. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure they are not touching each other.  Roast

Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients
4 organic bell peppers
1 lb. organic ground turkey
1 T. cumin
1 T. chili powder
1 t. sea salt
1 t. black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
½ c. feta cheese, crumbled
1-14 oz can organic fire roasted tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. cooked quinoa, optional
Guacamole, optional topping (see recipe below)

Directions: If making the roasted carrots, the oven is already hot.  If not, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the bell peppers in half from top to bottom (cutting down through the stems).  Remove the seeds and inner ‘guts.’

In a large, deep skillet, add 1 T. olive oil. Add the turkey, onion, and dry seasonings (cumin, chili powder, salt/pepper). Break the turkey into little bits with a wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant (about a minute). Add the diced tomatoes and cook another minute. Remove from the heat, and stir in the feta cheese. If using cooked quinoa, stir it in now.

Lay the bell peppers open faced on a baking sheet. If the peppers don’t lay evenly, slice a thin strip from the bottom to create a level surface. Pack the turkey mixture into the peppers. Bake for 25-30 minutes. When they’re done, top with guacamole!

Guacamole
1 avocado
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper, freshly ground
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Directions: Mash and stir together all ingredients.  Season with sea salt/pepper to taste.