Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

I made this meal on Ash Wednesday.  I love a good stuffed pepper...whether it has meat in it or not!

Preheat oven to 400 then cut 3 red peppers in half and dig out the ribs.  Put the red peppers in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast the peppers until they are ALMOST soft. 

While the peppers are roasting, make 1 bag of yellow rice and add 1 can rinsed and drained black beans..  I found this at Wal-Mart, so I think you can get it anywhere.  It has lots of good seasonings in it and is really easy!  After the rice is done, I added some salsa verde (maybe 1/2 cup) and about a cup of cheddar cheese. 

Once the peppers are almost done, take them out.  Mine filled with water a little bit, so I poured the water out, then filled the peppers with the rice mixture.  I had about a cup or so left after I filled all of the peppers.  I topped with rice with some more cheddar and put them back in the oven until the cheese was melted. 

When we ate them, I topped mine with a little more salsa and some sour cream, but they are good plain too.  A very delicious lenten meal!

Vegetable Lasagna

My son told me this was VERY good, so I must have done well! 

For the veggies:

I sliced 2 zucchini lengthwise about 1/4in thick into 8 slices.  I put them on a baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and broiled them until they were soft and starting to brown. 

In a mixing bowl, I combined 3/4 of a container of ricotta cheese, 1 box frozen spinach (with all the liguid squeezed out), 1/2c mozzarella, 1/2c parmesan, 1 egg, salt and pepper, and about 1/4c heavy cream.

I layered in an 8x8 (or 9x9, not sure) Pyrex dish:

1. Enough sauce to put a thin layer on the bottom of  the pan (I just used a jar of marinara)
2. 2 lasagna noodles (the Barilla "homestyle" noodles are no cook, shorter, and flat, so they work perfect)
3. 1/2 of the spinach mixture
4. 4 zucchini
5. a couple spoonfuls of marinara, then a handful or so of mozzarella
6. Layer 2 more noodles, then repeat the vegetable layers
7. Top with 2 more noodles and the remaining Marinara, and 2 handfuls of Mozzarella

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until cheese is browned.

Southwest Soup

I've made many delicious things since my last post, but honestly, I've just been too lazy to type them in!  I have a soup on the stove simmering right now and it was sooo easy, so I guess I have time to type!

I browned 1 pound of ground beef then sauteed 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic with it.  I added in the following:

1 can chili beans (with sauce)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
2c frozen corn
1 26oz carton beef stock
1 packet taco seasoning

I brought all this to a boil and am going to simmer for about 20 minutes, then just let sit until we're ready to eat!