Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

This is a great recipe! It is quite affordable and you can make it healthier by using ground turkey and brown rice. The recipe made four stuffed peppers which meant yummy leftovers. Enjoy!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

1/2 pound ground turkey breast
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup black beans
1 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (I use Ro-tel)
1/2 cup brown rice
4 bell peppers (I used green but any color will work)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 lime

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, cook rice with water as directed on package (I cooked the rice in a rice cooker). Meanwhile, brown turkey in a large skillet over medium high heat, crumbling as it cooks. Add 1/2 tsp cumin, cayenne, and half of chili powder. After about 5 minutes, add diced tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Add onions, black beans and corn and simmer until rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, prepare peppers by cutting in half through the top, remove stem, seeds and ribs. Rinse and set in a large baking dish. When liquid has cooked off rice, add remaining spices and fluff with a fork. Stir into turkey mixture. Squeeze juice of half of lime over the mixture and add half the cilantro. Spoon filling into pepper halves. Add a couple tablespoons of water to pan, cover the pan with foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Uncover, peppers should be softened. Sprinkle on cheese and return to oven for about another 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with remaining cilantro and sour cream, if desired.

Turkey Swedish Meatballs

This has easily become a family favorite! I am always looking for new recipes for ground turkey and this one is a home run! The best part of it is that it only takes 10 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook. These meatballs can be served alone or over pasta.

Turkey Swedish Meatballs
Adapted from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook.

3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
3 tbs reduced-fat sour cream
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Mix together salt, allspice, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Add turkey and gently mix with hands to combine; shape into 24 (1-inch) balls.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned, about 3 minutes; lower heat to medium and cook 3 more minutes, gently shaking pan. Using slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to a plate.

Add broth to the same skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Whisk in sour cream and cook 1 minute more. Add meatballs. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.