Smokey Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Sauce

Peppers created by Plated Perfection
Avocado Sauce by Minimalist Baker (www.minimalistbaker.com)

It's been a while since I've posted any recipes, but I wanted to get this one up here since a few folks showed some interest. We were overseas traveling for a couple of weeks and then I was sick for about a week, so I apologize for the big gap! These stuffed peppers I tried to make on the healthier side and they were delicious. I think I could eat the filling alone and be a happy girl! They make great leftovers as well. Definitely give these a go. You could even make these vegetarian if desired and just leave out the ground turkey/add more vegetables. The spices were also eyeballed - use more of what you like (personally, I loved the smoked paprika). Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers Ingredients:
4 bell peppers, cut in half and seeded (I use a variety of colors)
1 lb ground turkey (lean)
~ 1 cup cooked & drained brown rice (eyeball how much rice you want in the filling)
1/4 cup chicken broth (I used the bone broth for more flavor) - you'll use this in batches
~3/4 cup tomato sauce (unsalted)
~1 tsp cumin
~2 tsp smoked paprika
~1 tsp garlic powder
dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
shredded cheddar cheese, for the topping
1 tb olive oil
dash of salt

Avocado Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 small avocado, cut into chunks
1 cup cilantro, stems removed (personal preference)
3 small limes, juiced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tb agave nectar (or sweetener of your choice)
water to thin

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the rice, strain and set aside. I used the boil-in-the-bag kind since I had it on hand. Wash, cut and seed your peppers and place in a greased baking dish (I used 13 x 9). Set aside. In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey with a tb of olive oil. Toss in the spices (cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper). Add a dash of salt as well. Stir in the tomato sauce (use as much as desired) and a bit of the chicken broth. Simmer together until browned. Stir in the black beans and rice and incorporate all of the ingredients together. Fill the peppers to the top so that the mix isn't falling out. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the foil, top each pepper with a spoonful of chicken broth that is left over and a dash of cheddar cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes. Top with the avocado sauce before serving.

For the avocado sauce, a food processor/blender will make this much easier on you. Toss in all ingredients except for the water. Puree together. Add the water and remove the avocado from the sides of the food processor/blender. Puree a bit more and serve.