So Good, Makes Me Wanna Smack Yo Mama

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Growing up, my fave dish was my mom’s Greek stuffed peppers. And it still remains the meal nearest and dearest to my heart because food is my best friend. With this said, I whip up a batch at least twice a month because they taste even better the next day (#lunch) and it’s a gluten free recipe (#winning). I’ve adapted the recipe from Vefa Alexiadou’s cookbook. If you don’t own this particular cookbook and drool over Grecian grub, order it and thank me later. It’s the Greek cuisine recipe book bible. My copy is dogeared and a greasy mess — all the tell-tale signs of a great cookbook.

GREEK MEAT-STUFFED PEPPERS

4 sweet red peppers, with insides taken out tops sliced off 

1 cup olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef (you can use ground turkey if meat ain’t your thang)

1 can of tomato sauce (non-lazy people use a cup of fresh pureed tomatoes)

1 cup sushi rice (yes, sushi)

salt, pepper and sugar to taste

DUMMY-PROOF INSTRUCTIONS

Slap on an apron because ain’t nobody got time for onion stank! Plus, you’ll look more profresh (#LookThePart). Le duh. Heat 1/2 cup of oil in pan. Cook onions until softened. Stir in ground beef until browned. Add the tomato sauce, rice and season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Add a pinch of sugar to reduce the acidity of the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced. Plop this mixture into each pepper. In a sheet pan or glass Pyrex, place pepper tops on top of each pepper and drizzle with remaining olive oil and bake for 1 and a half hours at 350 degrees. Add sliced potatoes if you want some carbs. Opa!