It’s been a great summer for bell peppers in the Raleigh area. However, pepper season is slowly winding down with fall fast approaching and now is the time to take advantage of these wonderful and crunchy treats while they are fresh and local.

I recently posted about stuffed bell peppers with mushrooms, wild rice and habañero cheese and promised that I would share this recipe. This time I’ve taken red bell peppers and stuffed them with black beans, corn, rice and tomatoes, topped with shredded cheese. I’m not sure which recipe I like better – I’ll let you be the judge.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 2 large red peppers
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced small (wear gloves!)
• 1 can (15 oz.) seasoned black beans, rinsed and drained (I like Bush’s)
• 1 cup cooked brown and wild rice blend (I use HT Traders)
• 1 ear fresh corn, cooked and cut from the cob
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced small
• ¼ cup chunky salsa
• 1/3 cup fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
• Crushed red pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon Chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Hot Spanish Paprika (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Oregano (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin (or to taste)
• Seasoned salt to taste (I used Penzeys 4/S salt)
• Juice from 1 lime
• Mexican blend of cheese (I use 2 %), shredded

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the peppers, parboil them for 5 minutes and then plunge them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Set them aside to stuff later. (Note: you may skip this step and just use the peppers as is – they will be crunchier, but reheat better if you make a bunch of them.)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic and jalapeno for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, mix the black beans, rice, corn, tomatoes, salsa, cilantro and seasonings in a large bowl. Add the onions, etc., and squeeze in the lime juice.

Cut the cooled peppers in half, lengthwise, and remove the seeds and membranes. Fill them with the black bean mixture, and place in a nonstick baking pan.

Top each pepper with the cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips and guacamole. Don’t forget the margaritas! 

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!