LET’S COOK

By: Sequoia Dance

Tribal Affiliation: Shoshone-Bannock/Assiniboine

Major(s): B.A. Human Development, Pursuing M.A. Social and Cultural Pedagogy

Being healthy in college can be difficult and expensive. This is an individual’s lazy guide to an easy and low-cost meal: stuffed bell pepper. Keep in mind more veggies, seasoning and/or meat can be added, but read through the recipe and instructions before cooking to know where adaptations can be made. If you add more veggies, add them when the directions call for bell pepper prep/cook. Even though this recipe uses a black bean burger for protein, you can use meat. If you use a meat protein, be sure to cook it first. Lastly, seasoning can be sprinkled in at any point, but in my opinion is that it’s tastier if you add it halfway through the cooking process.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

What you’ll need:

A casserole dish or muffin pan, box of black bean burgers (can be found in the frozen section of your local grocery story), bell pepper, any shredded cheese (I recommend the Mexican blend), and instant rice (I use Seeds of Change in all my recipes because I love the seasonings, but feel free to get any style of rice that you like.). Other vegetables or meat protein, as desired. Chips and Salsa are optional, but a great addition!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the top of the bell pepper off, remove any remaining seeds, and add a pinch of salt inside of the bell pepper. *You can also cut the bell pepper in half (from top to bottom) to make it easier to eat.
3. In a casserole dish/muffin pan place the bell pepper on the dish and then place into the oven for 15–20 mins. *Tip: I like to also use a muffin pan to keep the pepper from tipping.
4. Remove bell pepper from oven and drain the excess liquid.
5. CAUTION: The bell pepper will be HOT! BE VERY CAREFUL, I use kitchen tongs for help.

The stuffing:

1. In the microwave, cook the Seeds of Change rice packet according to package directions.
2. In the microwave, cook the black bean burger according to the package directions.
3. In a bowl, break up the cooked black bean burger and mix in the rice (1/2 packet) and some cheese. (The amount of cheese in the stuffing is up to you, I suggest 1/8 of a cup as the remaining cheese will be added to the top of the stuffed bell pepper.)
4. Stuff the bell pepper with mixture and add a layer of cheese on top.
5. Place back into the oven for 10–15 min.
6. Remove bell pepper from the oven and cool for 3–5 minutes.

You can enjoy this dish with a side of chips and salsa!