Sausage Stuffed Peppers

I am ecstatic that it is a long weekend for me and for the first time in what seems like about 6 months I have nothing to run around and do. Well there are always offers to go places and do things, but after an exhausting few months and weeks I am dedicating this weekend to ME. That does not mean I will be sitting around pampering myself. It means I can finally get the things done that I have planned for so long. First will be renovating my bathroom....somehow as a first time house owner this seems fun.

Even so I will certainly leave room for some fun things like pumpkin carving, cooking, and doing whatever it is I feel like. It also means that I may get around to blogging a few more recipes and about the stages of the Alps hike that have yet to be posted over at uberfit. One recipe I have wanted to post was a recipe I made last Sunday. It seemed perfect for the rainy fall day we had. Not to mention it was great to be able to eat the very bowl the food was served in.

This dish can be rustic or elegant looking depending on how you want to dress it up. But one thing is for sure the nostril opening aroma of the baking sausage, the feeling of the fresh corn kernels as they burst in your mouth and the smooth warm goat cheese melting on your tongue will keep you eating more portions then you probably should. Not only is this dish appetizing, the bright colors of the peppers (reds, yellows, oranges) are appeasing to the eye. I love to eat these as a meal, but you could easily serve them as a side dish. As a side I’d tend to go more of the vegetarian route.

Spicy Sausage Stuffed Peppers

(Printable Version)

3 large bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), halved and seeded

2 T olive oil

2 spicy italian sausages

5 garlic cloves, miniced

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup corn kernels

2 cups cooked rice

chipotle powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprila

ground pepper

goat cheese

spicy salsa

In a large pan cook the sausages over med high heat until browned. Remove and let cool (enough to be able to touch and crumble sausage up into small pieces). Add them back to the pan with a bit of olive oil and add the garlic, onion, corn and heat.

Add the cooked rice and mix. Add the spices and adjust flavors to your liking.

Now spoon mixture into the halved peppers and pressing mixture in to get as much in as possible.

Place peppers in a baking dish with about 1" water at the bottom. Cover the dish with tin foil and place in a preheated oven at 375F. Bake for 35 to 4o min. The peppers should be tender to a fork when pierced.

Serve with goat cheese and salsa. The goat cheese will melt into the mixture adding so much flavor. You can also choose to bake it with the goat cheese and salsa already on it, however I like to add mine at the end.