Autumn Fun: Carve Up a Healthy Meal!
I trust you're enjoying the wonders of autumn! After four years in Arizona, I've come to appreciate the beauty of fall in the desert. The photo below comes from our local farm, Walking J, located near the Mexico border.
While we have yet to carve a pumpkin, we have carved some orange and yellow peppers and stuffed them with grass-fed beef from Walking J Farm! I love holiday traditions that don't involve heavily sugary or processed foods, and this one is perfect.
Carved Stuffed Peppers
"Carve" 4-6 large peppers and prepare stuffing mix. Use your favorite recipe or adapt this one to suit your family's tastes:
- 1 lb. ground beef (grass-fed is optimal)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 chopped onion
- 8 oz. tomato sauce (I like Bionaturae brand)
- 1 tsp. of your favorite seasoning blend (I use Italian)
- 1 c. soaked quinoa
- Salt and pepper to taste
I also try to add some raw liver to the mix. For more suggestions on incorporating liver into your diet, see my recent blog post.
Arrange carved peppers in baking dish. Steam the peppers by covering the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of water and cooking for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Once the peppers have softened a bit, remove from oven and pour off water. Stuff peppers with beef mixture and continue baking at 375 for 50 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Serve and enjoy!