Part two: Stuffed Peppers 3 ways on Mom's Fruit Plates

So Mom's fruit plates are these chipped up gray plates with fruit painted on them that you may have been noticing in the pictures on the blog. Mom had a country theme in her kitchen back in the 90's with striped wall paper complete with roosters here and there and these sweet fruit plates were what we ate on as a family for several years. Mom got two 8 piece sets of these plates with bowls and little coffee mugs from JCPennys or somewhere like that. I inherited every piece of that dinner set that was still intact...whether I wanted it or not. Nick and I moved in together and I needed plates and the fruit plates came out of the storage room. It has been over 3 years now and I still use Mom's fruit plates everyday. I keep saying I am going to get another set but I never seem to do it....so for now we eat on these chipped up JCPenny fruit plates that remind me of my Mom and mashed potatoes and gravy.

So.. Stuffed Peppers Italian Sausage Style:

2 packs ground turkey
4 large bell peppers--red are really good with this one
several slices of turkey pepperoni
2/3 cup shredded low fat mozzarella but make sure you have extra for later
1 1/2 T garlic powder or fresh minced garlic
1 1/2 T Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary)
1/2 cup fennel seeds (that gives it the sausage flavor)
1/4 cup Italian dressing
black pepper and salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 T dried minced onion flakes
Marinara

You basically cook these the same as the others. Preheat oven to 400. Hollow out bell peppers and place in foil lined baking pan. Mix together ground turkey, garlic, fennel, Italian seasoning, Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese, onion flakes, and several dashes of salt and pepper. Once its mixed well, add in 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella and mix. Line the bottom of each pepper with a few slices of pepperoni then stuff with turkey meat mixture.
Cover with foil and cook 30 mins. While the peppers are cooking, heat up a jar of your favorite marinara or red sauce...even vodka sauce or Alfredo are really good on these peppers.
After 30 mins, take peppers out and top with several spoons of sauce. Cook another 20 mins. Pull peppers out again and top with some mozzarella and a few slices of pepperoni. Cook another 10 mins.

Be careful to check the temp of the meat inside each pepper and make sure it is cooked well. It should take about an hour. After they are all done, plate as is or fillet them and top with more sauce and cheese. Oh but consider stabbing with peppers with fork or knife while still in pan

A little whole wheat pasta is perfect on the side. You can cut up some pieces of the pepper and eat it with the pasta.


Greek Style Stuffed Peppers
2 packs ground turkey
4 large bell peppers-red, yellow, or green...i think the sweetness of the red pepper would be great.
black pepper and salt
1 t mint
1 t oregano
1 t thyme
1 1/2 T garlic powder or minced garlic
juice from 2 slices of lemon
1/2 cup feta cheese
olive oil

Prep peppers and preheat oven. Mix turkey with mint, oregano, thyme, garlic, and several dashes of black pepper and salt. Then add juice from the lemon, feta, and drizzle a little olive oil in and mix.
Cook 30 mins covered and then another 30 mins uncovered.
It should take about an hour.
After they are all cooked through, fillet open and add more crumbled feta, some fresh cracked pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

I also have a recipe for yogurt cucumber sauce you could use....stay tuned and I will share that one another time. 

Enjoy these healthier dishes my bacon lovers. :)