Any body out there??

Well, it has been a little while.  Okay, okay... it has been a long while.  I blame the final semester of high school and three AP tests.  But that's all over now.  Yippee for seniors!!

So I do have a recipe for you today (Remember my 50+ recipe goal?  Yeah, not happening this year...), but first a few life updates because I can.  Without further ado, here they are in chronological-ish order. (By the way, "ish" is a real suffix* and can be added to the end of any word.  You're welcome for just doubling your vocabulary.)
*Welcome to my world.

• I participated in my first 5k.  Ran part, walked part, and confirmed once again what I already knew - I am not a runner.  But that's okay!  I just went at my own pace and really enjoyed it!

Okay, enough of that.  Time for some food!

One of my favorite things about cooking is that with a little creativity, you can throw together anything just sitting around in your fridge and have a dinner worth remembering.  Take, for example, last weekend.  I had in my fridge the following items waiting patiently to be used (yes, in my world food has feelings too): grilled corn on the cob, black beans, tomato sauce, some [not so patient] cilantro, and a red bell pepper.  In addition, there were some whole wheat bread crumbs just sitting in the blender that my mom hadn't used.  I don't know about you, but those ingredients scream, "Southwestern stuffed bell pepper!!" to me.  You can't hear it?  I guess you haven't been in my world long enough.

Southwestern Stuffed Bell Pepper
This recipe uses ingredients that you probably have in your pantry and refrigerator.  But if not, it's worth going out to buy them.
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup corn (I used left over grilled corn)
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce (I used no-sodium)
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, torn
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Shredded cheese, if desired (I didn't use any this time, but I think it would a wonderful addition - I mean really, when is cheese not a wonderful addition??)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Removes the stem and seeds from the bell pepper by cutting out the top, and steam the pepper for about nine minutes or until soft and flexible.
3. Melt the butter in a small pan.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is clear.
4. Stir in the bread crumbs, toasting slightly (should take 2 to 3 minutes).
5. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients (you could stir in the cheese, if using, or save for the top).
6. Stuff mixture into the bell pepper and bake for 20 minutes.
7. Top with cheese, if using, set oven to broil, and broil for 3 to 4 minutes.  The pepper browns quickly so keep an eye on it.  Personally, I like it pretty black!!

Hope everyone's doing well and getting ready for suuuuuummer!!!