Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers + Yogurt Sauce

Boy, do I have an awesome recipe for you guys.

Your taste buds with thank me after this one -- I guarantee it.

 

Well, don't quote me on that, you may not like it. But that will be your own fault! ; )

Lately I've been very conscious about what I have been eating and sticking to my May Goal of being Paleo 6 days out of the week. This week I've been very strict Paleo for 2 whole days and feeling great -- but more to come on that later!

 

Now, before you freak out on me and say, "Who in their right mind puts yogurt on a pepper?" Let me just stop you right there. You've probably seen everywhere that Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream and you cannot tell the difference? And you're probably thinking "Lies, lies, lies -- all I hear is lies! Ain't no way that's true!"

 

I am here to tell you that this rumor is, indeed, TRUE. [gasps.]

I honestly have replaced sour cream on a baked potato before and honestly, could not tell the difference. So in my book it is definitely worth saving the calories, fat + adding a good bit of protein to your diet.

 

Now, before the Paleo people come and hunt me down for saying Greek yogurt is part of the "Paleolithic Diet". It's not. Technically. Every Paleo person is different and what they chose to eat is totally up to them. There is no book that everyone follows, because there are tons of different ones out there and no one completely agrees on what's Paleo and what's not! Some people say Corn is a big no, no while others say it's not a big deal to eat. Some say nuts shouldn't be consume, I say to heck with it! Nuts are good for you and so is corn + they come from the earth and I'm gonna eat em. So there. Hmmph. [wins.]

 

Anyway... Greek yogurt is considered Paleo in my book because, completely cutting dairy out of my life would be ridiculous. My body loves dairy and needs it. I could never cut it out and deprive my body of what it needs. So there you have it Paleo people, hunt me down.  

 

ANYWAY.. back to my point -- the yogurt sauce is, dare I say? Damn good.

I'm not just saying that. I had found the recipe on Pinterest last summer and loved it. So I decided to use it again.

 

So, in conclusion. Just try the sauce.

Just do it, okay?

This recipe is very simple and very delicious. My favorite thing about doing stuffed bell peppers is you honestly cannot go wrong with them. You can make the flavor anyway you like and put whatever you want in them, it is honestly totally up to you!

 

Last night, I was in the mood for some spice so I went for a super spicy concoction!

 

This recipe does not take long, but the most tedious part was chopping the vegetables. If you use frozen chopped veggies that would save a lot of time, or use a "chop magic" or whatever those crafty things are called -- to save loads of time chopping everything! Or if you are a quick chopper, by all means have at the choppin' my friend!

 I needed to relax and cooking + chopping vegetable helps me do that so I did all the prep work by hand.

 

Ingredients:

3 Fresh Bell Peppers

1-1.5 Pounds Ground Meat (I used Venison)

1 Cup Chopped Mushrooms (any kind will work)

1 Medium Fresh Zucchini

1/2 White Onion - Chopped

2 Cloves Fresh Garlic

10 Cherry Tomatoes

1 Cup Arugula

1 Cup Kale

3-4 TBSP Olive Oil

2-3 TBSP Cayenne Pepper (to taste)

1 TBSP Garlic Salt

2 TBSP Italian Seasoning

Salt, Pepper (to taste)

1-2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce (depending on preference)

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes (for side)

 

For the Yogurt Sauce:

4 TBSP Greek Non-fat Plain Yogurt

1 TSP Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP Cayenne Pepper

Garlic Salt, Salt, Pepper, + Dill (to taste)

 

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. While the oven preheats, begin chopping the Zucchini, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Onion, and Garlic.

 

2. In a saucepan, on high heat combine chopped vegetables (from step 1) with 2 TBSP Olive Oil. Sautee vegetables until tender.

3. In another saucepan, brown the ground meat (if necessary drain the fat and return to saucepan -- the leaner your meat the less fat and you will not need to do this). Do not cook meat through until a later step.

 

4. While the vegetables sauté and the meat browns begin preparing the Bell Peppers. To do so, cut the top of the Bell Peppers and take out the "insides" (seeds, linings, etc.) and place on a foil wrapped pan.

-- I had to take a picture of this. Part of me didn't want to use this pepper and instead I wanted to get some paint and use it to finger paint with! Food is just so pretty!  

5. After vegetables are tender and the meat is browned (this will both happen very quickly if both stove tops are on high) combine the vegetables to the meat saucepan. Cook/simmer until meat is cooked through.

6. While the meat and vegetables continue to simmer prepare the sweet potatoes for the side. Chop 3 Sweet Potatoes into small to medium sized cubes. Toss with 1 TBSP Olive Oil + Garlic Salt + Cayenne Pepper to taste. Place in oven on 350 before inserting the Bell Peppers.

 

7. Once meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender, begin placing the "meat mixture" into each individual pepper.

*I cut the stems out of my tops so I could fill them even more.

 

8. Once full, place top on Bell Pepper and fill the remaining room with the mixture. Place in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until peppers are tender.

*The sweet potatoes will take about the same amount of time -- I think I took mine out about 10 minutes before the peppers were done.

9. While Peppers and Sweet Potatoes cook, prepare the Yogurt Sauce. Combine 4 TBSP of Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt with 1 TSP Worcestershire sauce, 2 TBSP Cayenne Pepper, Garlic Salt, Salt, Pepper, + Dill.

*The taste/amount is all up to you. As you know from previous posts, I don't measure my seasonings too, too often and usually go by smell + taste. This was another one of those times.

 

10. When Peppers are done remove from oven, top with 1 large TBSP of the yogurt sauce and enjoy!

I made 3 of these bad boys to eat for the rest of the week for lunch at work. They are one of the most filling meals to eat + there is so much nutrition in it it's almost as if you are eating something unhealthy -- it's that good!

 

I roughly added up the nutrition for the peppers and here is what I got for each one!

 

Nutrition per Pepper with Yogurt Sauce:

470 Calories, 13.1g Carbs, 27g Fat, 45g Protein

 

 

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe, it is definitely one of my favorites : )

 

OH -- I forgot to mention, this recipe would be even better if you added a little cheese into the "mixture" or even just to the top. Try it out and let me know how it is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a fit + fantastic day everyone!