Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love stuffed bell peppers. In my opinion, they are a complete meal nicely tucked into an edible shell. I'm not sure where I got this recipe from but I started making these when I first got married. I'm guessing at the time I was on the South Beach Diet. However, I think that I  came up with this final version by trial and error. I hope you enjoy these peppers as much as my family does!

Ingredients:

• 6 green bell peppers, seeded and tops cut off
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 C. brown rice, cooked
• 3 Stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 tbls. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 6 oz. shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Begin by hollowing and cleaning out bell peppers.

In a saute pan, saute celery and onions until tender. Place aside and brown turkey in the same pan adding garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Once turkey is brown, add back the onions and celery and mix until well blended. Add the diced tomotoes and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, combine brown rice with turkey mixture. Evenly distribute the mixture into the 6 bell peppers.

Place peppers into a casserole dish with the opening facing up. Bake bell peppers for 30 minutes. Top each bell pepper with an ounce of shredded cheese and bake another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Let bell peppers cool before serving.