At the end of the work day, there’s nothing likbeing greeted at the door by the aroma of a crockpot meal, and knowing that dinner’s ready. Texas Pepper Jelly’s Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Peppers are a meal in and of themselves; all you’ll need now is a simple tossed salad, and you’re good to go!
Texas Pepper Jelly’s delicious crockpot meals are ideal for working people; just throw your dinner together the night before, or in the early morning before you leave for work, and when you get home, well, your main course is ready to devour!
Ingredients:
1 cup of water
1 package of cream cheese (I use Neufchatel)
2 cups of brown rice
2 cups finely chopped spinach
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
2 cups black beans, rinsed and thoroughly drained
2 tablespoons minced onion, fresh or dried
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup finely chopped apple (I use Granny Smith)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
Dash black pepper
1/2 cup Apple Habanero Rib Candy
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 bell peppers, any color (I like to use an assortment)
What to do:
Pour the water into your crockpot and turn it to “low.”
In a large bowl, put the cream cheese, rice, spinach, tomatoes, black beans, onion, cumin, oregano, peas, apples, and Rib Candy. (In other words, everything but the cheese and the peppers!) Mix well. Mixture should be moist; add more Rib Candy if you think the mixture is too dry.
Remove the tops from each of the peppers, but don’t discard those tops. Remove all the seeds and rinse the outside AND inside well.
Fill each pepper with the mixture, replace the peppers’ caps, and sprinkle the shredded cheese over the tops. Place the peppers’ tops – I like to mix and match colors here, too. Place the peppers inside the crockpot. It’s okay to squeeze them in tightly.
Go to bed, or go to work. Let the peppers cook all night, or all day. If you cook them all night, turn the crockpot off in the morning and put the insert in your refrigerator before you leave. When you get home, put the insert back in the pot and turn it on “high” for about an hour.
Delicious, nutritious, and easy – it just takes a little mixing! Put the bottle of Rib Candy on the table; some people like to add a little more before they dig in with those spoons.
