stuffed peppers

[totient]

Got a bunch of tired-looking ingredients or leftovers lying around but none of them are enough for a meal? No problem! Make stuffed peppers, they'll be delicious.

Per person served:

- Two peppers. Poblano, bell, whatever's looking the most wrinkly and sad in the back of the fridge. As long as the seeds have not turned black you're fine. Or, you know, tomatoes or squash or really anything that can be hollowed out. I had some poblanos that were starting to get soft. Don't worry about heat, it'll mellow a lot when you cook it. Cut around the stem and pull or shake all the seeds out. If the peppers are small, push the sides out some. It's OK if they crack when you do this.

- a couple of tablespoons of pine nuts. This is the one ingredient that's not optional. Toast these in a frying pan, without oil, and set aside.

- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of some kind of diced onion, by which I include leeks and shallots and such. I had some red onion that I'd cut up for another recipe that only needed a little. Fry this up in some oil or butter.

- 1/4 to 1/2 pound of some kind of protein. Freezer-burned turkey burgers, leftover chicken, TVP, really anything will work. Impossible burger works well if you have it. I had an open package of frozen ground chicken kebabs from last March when we thought takeout might not be a thing. Cut or crumble this up and add it to the onions. If the protein is still frozen, it'll want to go in only a minute after the onions, while those are still cooking.

- Maybe half or two thirds of a cup of some kind of green veggies. Fresh, frozen, it doesn't matter. I had the end of a bunch of broccolini from two weeks ago that was pretty limp. Cut up to like 1/2" pieces and toss it in with the other stuff. Frozen veggies will want to go in right after the protein; otherwise you can let that cook a little first.

- A similar amount of cooked rice. I had some left over from takeout Indian food a few days ago. Throw it in when the veggies are starting to look cooked. Put the pine nuts in at this point too. Stir well and turn off the heat before adding the remaining ingredients.

- Spices to bring everything together. I've used cumin or fennel or paprika in the past. This time I had some Thai basil and some curry powder. Don't be shy. Whatever the spice is, think in teaspoons, not dashes. I added some raisins too, because I thought they'd go with the curry.

- One egg, and/or a similar amount of cheese. I did both, grating in a heel of Manchego, since my ingredients were pretty dry. A premade sauce, or oils, could also work here depending on what ingredients you use. The mix should still be warm enough to melt the cheese but not warm enough to cook the egg. When you're done it should be wet enough to stick together.

Stuff the mix into the peppers and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Delicious!