Salsa Stuffed Bell Peppers

By: Kelley Dillon

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Ingredients
Stuffed Peppers:

• 4 bell peppers, cut in half and cored
• 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 corn, cut off cob
• 1 10 oz can black beans, rinsed
• 2 cups brown rice or quinoa, cooked
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups Mexican cheese​

Directions

1. Roast sweet potatoes with oil at 425 F for 20 minutes.
2. Sauté onions, corn, and black beans in oil and seasonings over medium heat.
3. Combine all ingredients and stuff each half of bell pepper with the mixture. In a casserole dish, bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle tops with extra cheese and bake for another 15 minutes.
4. Top with sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa and enjoy.

Green and purple bell peppers have a slightly bitter, grassy flavor, while orange, red, and yellow peppers have a sweeter flavor.

Selection tip: Select colorful, taut, glossy peppers

Storage tip: Refrigerate whole with stem intact 

This recipe was inspired by our CSA which included bell peppers from Enos Bontrager.

"Eating is an agricultural act."
​- Wendell Berry, author, food activist, and farmer 

Bell peppers, or sweet peppers, have been cultivated for over 9000 years. They originated from Central and South America. Now, bell peppers are used in virtually every cuisine.

Although typically thought of as vegetables, bell peppers are actually fruit. They come in a rainbow of colors: red, green, yellow, orange, purple, dark brown, and cream. Bell peppers change colors and sweeten as they ripen. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are actually green bell peppers that have been left on the vine to continue ripening. 

Bell peppers are an excellent source of fiber, potassium and vitamins A, C, and B6. A large red pepper has 3X more vitamin C than an orange. Vitamin C is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all cells and body tissues.

The food system is a complex network of activities involving the production, processing, transport, consumption, and disposal of food. Buying local products simplifies the food system and ensures the highest quality of product. It also improves local food access and and supports families in the community. ​