Quick and easy Stuffed green peppers with rice...

1 cup rice  cooked according to package directions, or 1 cup precooked in cups
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
½ cup sliced mushrooms (or 1 small can of mushrooms, drained) I omitted these...
1 bell pepper, chopped (green, red, yellow or orange)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 bell peppers, any color, cut in half lengthwise with stem and seeds removed


In large skillet, brown ground beef. Stir in next five ingredients (chopped onion, chopped celery, sliced mushrooms (if using), chopped pepper and diced tomatoes). Continue cooking until vegetables are slightly browned and ground beef is well cooked and no pink remains.

Combine cooked beef and vegetable mixture with rice, parsley, and garlic. Pack tightly into the 12 bell pepper halves and arrange in a lightly greased 9x13 inch ovenproof casserole dish. Bake at 350’F for 45 minutes until filling is heated through and peppers are fork-tender.

Enjoy!
Sharon

Gluten-Free, Low sugar, BBQ sauce...

A few posts back I promised to try and find more gluten-free recipes that were lower in sugar to post on the blog. Well I believe that the recipe I am sharing with you today will not only meet the needs of my gluten-free friends, but also those who must watch their sugar intake for health reasons as well.

 

We all know that most commercial barbecue sauces are loaded with sugar. That's why they taste so good! Most have up to 16-30 grams per quarter cup, but many can reach as high as 44 grams! It doesn't have to be that way if you take a few minutes to make your own.

 

The one secret ingredient to use is diet cola. It's best to use a cola that is sweetened with Splenda, but any diet cola will do. Although, be aware that aspartame tends to lose its sweetness when heated for long periods of time, so a Splenda based diet cola will work best for this recipe. As always be sure to use GF ingredients when making.

This is so Delish, and great to have on hand for my husband, as he loves his BBQ!

 

Ingredients:

2 strips of thick bacon, chopped fine

1 small onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

6 oz can tomato paste

12 oz can sugar free diet cola, sweetened with Splenda

1/4 cup low carb, sugar-free, catsup

1/2 cup water

3 T mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch ground cloves

Hot sauce to taste

Preparation:

 Fry the bacon in a 2 quart saucepan.

Add the onion and cook over medium until soft , about  3-5 minutes. Add garlic at this point if you're using fresh and stir it for half a minute.

 Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir well.

 

 Simmer for 20-30 minutes. It will cook down a bit and the flavors will combine.

 

At this point you can adjust the seasonings so you have the balance you want. You can add vinegar, artificial sweetener, or hot sauce.

The recipe makes approximately 10 servings of 1/4 cup each. Each serving has about 3.5 grams of carbohydrate, plus 1 gram of fiber.

 

As always...Enjoy!

Sharon