Surprises at the dinner table!

Kids...  aren't they precious!

Mine aren't really what you would call picky eaters since they have to put up with me and all my fancies in the kitchen but they do tend to push a lot of the more colorful things off to the side.  I encourage them (basically force them) to try everything just in case it tastes different than the last time and they usually indulge me.  Last night was no different!  They took one look at the red pepper and said "We only eat the inside, right"?  I informed them to try a bite with both the inside AND a piece of the pepper and guess what?

SURPRISE!

All three of them agreed it was pretty darn good!  The sweet pepper really added to the spices and flavors of the filling.  Now you try...

Sante Fe Stuffed Peppers (6 servings)

3 large red bell peppers

1 lb ground beef, 95% lean

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 (11 oz) can Steam Crisp Mexi-Corn

6 (or more) pickled Jalapeno sliced, chopped

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp cilantro, dried

2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup chicken broth, fat free

1 cup colby jack cheese, 2%, shredded

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove all the seeds and membrane.  The stem may be left on or removed.  Place in a deep roasting pan and set aside.  In a large skillet, begin browning the ground beef.  When partially cooked, add the onion, green bell pepper and garlic and continue to cook until ground beef is no longer pink.  Add the black beans, corn, jalapenos, tomatoes and spices.  Lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until flavors have combined and any juices have evaporated.  Divide the cooked mixture evenly into the prepared red bell peppers.  Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan and cover with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and divide the cheese evenly on top of each pepper.  Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.  Serve piping hot!

I will definitely add these to my favorites and next time I might even spice them up a bit more!  This recipe will serve 6 people with average appetites and is only 7 WW points plus.  I'm thinking maybe some rice in there the next time to make them just a tad bit more filling and to provide those ever-loving carbs!

So what's the next surprise for the kids?  How about some seafood, that's always fun!