Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

When you hear the word “Halloween,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Costumes?

Scary movies?

Kids at your door shouting “trick-or-treat?”

The first thing that comes to my mind is “treats” that involve heaps of sugar…and kids bouncing off the walls because of it!

The good news is you can have fun with Halloween-themed goodies that taste delicious without the heaps of sugar.

This recipe for jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers is a great example!

Photo Credit: Team Beachbody

THE RECIPE

The great thing about this recipe is that the filling for the peppers is totally customizable, as long as you stick with clean ingredients from whole-food sources.

Basic preparation:

Regardless of which filling you decide to go with, you’ll start preparing your jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers with these steps:

  1. Wash 4 fresh orange bell peppers. (I use white vinegar to wash my produce, and it works like a charm!)
  2. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
  3. Slice off the top/stem side of the peppers, remove the seeds and veins, and cut a jack-o-lantern face out of one side of each pepper as shown in the photo below.
  4. Stand the peppers upright in a baking dish, stuff them and put the top back on.
  5. Add 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the dish and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. (I prefer using glass dishes like this for baking.)

Photo Credit: Team Beachbody

Stuffing variations:

You can stuff your peppers with a meat-based filling, or you can make the filling meatless by substituting the meat with more beans and quinoa.

Below is a basic recipe you can follow exactly. Or, simply use it to guide your own special concoction.

Stuffing Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of ground turkey or chicken
  • 2 teaspoons of avocado oil
  • 1/2 of a medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup of black beans, drained
  • 1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce, no sugar added
  • 1 cup of cooked quinoa

NOTE: If you want your filling to be meatless, simply omit the turkey/chicken and double the amount of beans and quinoa from 1 cup to 2.

Stuffing Preparation:

  1. Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-to-high heat.
  2. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until tender.
  3. SKIP THIS STEP IF YOU’RE GOING MEATLESS: Add the turkey or chicken to the pan and cook until it is fully browned.
  4. Add the chili powder, cumin, black pepper, tomato sauce and black beans to the pan and stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
  5. Add the quinoa to the pan and mix well.
  6. Fill the prepared peppers with the stuffing mix and bake for 12-15 minutes as instructed under the “Basic preparation” section above.
  7. ENJOY!

Photo Credit: Team Beachbody

Cheers to enjoying a Halloween-themed goodie that’s healthy, delicious and not loaded with sugar!

With love and gratitude,

Kandi

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