CAFE WORLD COMES TO LIFE: Overstuffed Peppers

Aha, Overstuffed Peppers from Cafe World (Facebook game by Zynga). Such a colorful dish with so many Cafe points! I've been wanting to try to make this dish, today I finally put them together. They turned out pretty good with juicy yet crunchy peppers and cheesy meat rice fillings. Like other dishes that require "stuffing," the peppers can be filled with all other types of ingredients too. Today, I did mine with meat, rice and vegetables with a touch of Asian flavor. I'm thinking, next time, maybe I'll try doing a cream sauce, seafood filling. Mmmmm, fun to make and so appetizing on the table. Be creative and you will probably be amazed with how tasty they turn out.

Here's how I made them tonight:
(about 3 servings)

 

Ingredients:

- 1/2 Red Onion

- 3 large Peppers (green, yellow and red)

- 1/2 lb ground Lean Beef

- 1 cup Cooked Rice (chilled) 

- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese 

- 1/4 cup frozen vegetables (for more colors!)

- 3 tablespoons Parmesan Bread Crumbs

- 1 clove of Garlic

- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Sauce Mix:

- Salt and Pepper (a few pinches)

- Soy Sauce (2 tablespoons)

- Sesame Oil (1 teaspoon)

- Sugar (a teaspoon)

- Paprika Powder (1 tablespoon)

- Rice Wine (1 tablespoon)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Step 2: Prepare the pepper shells: Cut them open approx. 1/4" from the top of the pepper.  Wash them well, and using your fingers, remove the seeds and white membranes. Be careful not to break the pepper "bowls." 

Boil some hot water in a medium pot. Immerse the pepper shells into the water for about 5 minutes. Drain the peppers and let them cool on the side.

 

Step 3: Prepare the fillings: Chop onion and garlic to small pieces. Over medium heat, cook ground beef with garlic. Then, add rice and sauce mix (see above for ingredients). Mix well. Cook until meat is cooked through. Turn heat off. Let cool for about 5 minutes.

 

Step 4: In a greased oven-safe pan, stuff the pepper shells with rice filling generously. Top with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Put them in the oven for about 30 minutes.

 

Step 5: Take them out. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Serve with the stems for presentation. Enjoy!