The school year has begun. I don’t have kids, but I am married to a teacher, so this time of year gets pretty hectic. Which means it’s about time I started stocking my fridge and freezer on weekends so weeknight dinners are a bit more manageable.
These Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers are a super tasty (and easy) make-ahead meal. You can cook these over the weekend and reheat during the week, or freeze before cooking, thaw, and cook when ready to eat!
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
4 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 cup jarred salsa (mild or medium)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 oz) box of yellow rice, cooked according to package directions
I love love love this recipe for Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja. It’s a perfect slow cooker meal, which means dinner is ready for me when I come home from work.
Ropa Vieja translates to “old clothes,” referring to the shredded beef and colorful peppers in a tomato sauce with caramelized onions that resemble torn cloth. It’s a well-known Cuban dish, but its origins go back to Sephardic dishes in the Middle Ages.
This version has a bit more prep work to it to fully develop the flavors. Trust me, it’s worth it!
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I need to clean out my fridge to make room for all of the leftovers I plan on hoarding from my relatives. (I love that they end up feeding me for the whole weekend) The best (and tastiest) way to do this is to make tacos for dinner.
Ingredients
Chicken
Taco Seasoning (recipe below)
Yellow Rice
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Green Pepper
Guacamole (recipe below)
Cheese (I used pepper jack and cheddar)
Taco shells or soft tacos
I usually have most of the above lying around, which is why this is my favorite recipe to get rid of a bunch of ingredients. As a side note: I live alone, so I just buy a bunch of chicken on sale, put the pieces in individual freezer bags, and pull them out the day before to defrost in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice according to directions. While the rice is cooking, put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan on medium heat. While that warms up, season the chicken with the taco seasoning.
Taco Seasoning Recipe
Taco Seasoning
4 parts chili powder
4 parts ground cumin
2 parts paprika
2 parts salt
2 parts black pepper
1 part garlic powder
1 part onion powder
1 part crushed red pepper flakes
1 part dried oregano
Mix. Store remaining spice mix in an airtight container.
Brown the chicken on both sides and place in the oven for 20 minutes. While the chicken and rice are cooking, chop all vegetables (tomatoes, green peppers, onion and lettuce)
To make the guacamole, cut avocados removing the seed. Put in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add onion, some chopped cilantro, chopped onion, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a dash of black pepper, and some of the chopped tomato. Mix.
Homemade Guacamole
Make sure to leave yourself enough onion and tomato to have as a topping for your tacos. Once the chicken is finished cooking, cut into bite size pieces and serve.
Not to shabby of a spread!
Each person can build their own taco to their liking. I usually take the leftovers and combine them for lunch the next day too. Yum!
