January 17, 2012: Healthy Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

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Last year I shared a Spicy Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe with you. Thisyear, when I’m concerned with calories, I decided to redo that recipe and makeit healthier. Here’s what I came up with which, by the way, my husband loved(and he’s not counting calories!).
Healthy Stuffed BellPeppers
½ cup brown rice4 medium-sized green bell peppers1 pound ground chicken breast1 T. red bell pepper, minced1 clove garlic, minced (divided)2 green onions, minced (divided)1 ½ T. green chile, minced (divided)1/3 cup canned corn, drained½ t. each: oregano, garlic salt, paprika, dried parsley,black pepper, dried cilantro and cumin powder1 can condensed cheese soup (divided)¼ cup fat free half and half
In a saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups water to boil. Add half cupbrown rice. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Remove from heat.
Remove the cap of the green peppers and clean out seeds andmembranes inside. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each, if necessary, tomake them stand up straight (good posture for peppers, ha!). Spray a baking panwith cooking spray and stand peppers within.
In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook ground chickenover medium heat. Add red bell pepper, half of the minced garlic, the whiteparts of the green onion, and half of the green chile. Sauté for another twominutes, until veggies are soft. Add corn, rice, seasonings and ¼ cup of thecheese soup. The rice should have a small amount of unabsorbed water in the bottomof the pan; if not add a tablespoon of water to mixture to chicken mixture tothin it a bit.
Stuff each pepper with one quarter of the chicken/ricemixture. Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degreesfor about one hour, until bell peppers are soft.
While the peppers are cooking, mix together remaining cheesesoup, reserved vegetables and half and half. Microwave on high for 1 to 2minutes, until heated through.
To serve, place one pepper on a plate and spoon a quarter ofthe warm cheese sauce over the top. Goes great with a hot bowl of soup or acrisp, fresh green salad.
Serves 4 with 349 calories, 11 grams of fat and 761.5 mg ofsodium each serving.