May 2016 – Cooking With Kristy

I was never a big fan of the traditional green peppers stuffed with rice/ground beef/tomato sauce mixture – probably because I dislike green peppers and the filling always seemed bland to me. This recipe is my spin combining recipes for stuffed peppers with lettuce wrap filling. It can be made and even assembled ahead of time then just heated up for those evenings where the whole family is rushing in late. I prefer the mellow sweetness of yellow, orange and red peppers, but you can use green ones if you prefer. Blanching them (cooking them in boiling water then zapping them with cold water) softens them up and lessens the time needed in the oven for the finished dish.

Ingredients:

6 red, yellow or orange bell peppers

1 c. cooked rice

Chicken Filling from Lettuce Wraps Recipe here.

Make the Chicken Filling first. Then clean the peppers. Cut in half from stem to bottom and remove stem, seeds and any excess membrane. Bring a large pot of water to boil, then drop the peppers (in 2 batches) into the water for 5 minutes until softened. Remove, drain and rinse in cold water until cooled. Spray with oil a large baking dish then put all the peppers in, open side up.

Put 1 T. of cooked rice in the bottom of each pepper. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to put chicken filling in each pepper on top of the rice. Sprinkle with extra chopped basil or sesame seeds. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes to warm everything up together just before serving.

1 lb. ground chicken
2 T. sesame oil (can use HOT flavored if you like)

1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms (approx. 4-5 medium fresh ones or dried ones, rehydrated according to directions, then finely chopped)
2 T. chopped basil
3 T. hoisen sauce

3 T. teriyaki

1 t. ground ginger
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 8-oz. can each bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 t. cornstarch
Butter leaf lettuce, cleaned & separated
2 c. cooked rice

In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and basil. Set aside. Stir together 1 T. each of the hoisen, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, plus the garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of the ginger. Pour the mixture on top of ground chicken gently stir to combine.

Sauce Round #2: In a small separate bowl, mix the remaining 2 T. hoisen & teriyaki, 1/2 t. ginger and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken mix in the oil until cooked, stirring every couple of minutes. While the chicken is cooking, prepare Sauce Round #2. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken and simmer a couple more minutes. Serve over the rice or scooped into the lettuce leaves.

Option: Use as filling for Asian-Inspired Stuffed Peppers

Archive for month: May, 2016