Cook Once Eat Twice
Two Great Recipes

How are you going to Cook Once, Eat Twice this week? Brown 3 pounds of ground beef tonight, and enjoy two delicious and different dinners with the effort of one night's cooking. Tonight’s tacos and rice give you a tray of delicious Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers tomorrow. If you prefer, substitute your favorite soy based ground “meat” and top off your dishes with shredded cheddar cheese. Either way: Ole!

You’ll need:

3 lbs. lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 ½ cups water

5 cups cooked rice (1¾ cup long grained white rice =5 cups cooked)

2 (1 1/4 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix
OR mix up an economical batch of your own taco seasoning: 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon each: cumin, paprika, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, onion powder, dried oregano seasoning salt.

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion and pepper. Drain fat, stir in water and taco seasoning, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Separate half of the meat mixture, cool and refrigerate in a tightly sealed container.

Tacos & Rice Dinner

photo credit: istockphoto© Ules Barnwell

Your family’s choice of :

chopped onion

chopped bell pepper

diced tomato

mashed avocado

chopped jalapeno pepper

shredded lettuce or cabbage

pareve (real if using meat substitute) sour cream

warmed crunchy or soft taco shells

Serve tortillas or taco shells, and let your family build their own creation. Serve with Spanish Rice. Make a double batch of rice, you’ll be using them in the Mexi-Stuffed Peppers.

Meal 2: Stuffed Peppers

I never really liked stuffed peppers until I tried them with this Mexican twist. They are a real crowd pleaser! Some have told me they add beans in place of half the rice and my kids loved it when I once threw a cup of corn in the mix. This dish freezes well. In fact the peppers will be softer if you do. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.

We serve this with a simple salad of shredded cabbage and bottled or simple homemade vinaigrette or Corn and Tomato Salad.

You’ll need:

1 egg, beaten

2 cups cooked rice

4-6 bell peppers, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded

1 (19 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (15-16 ounce) jar salsa

(shredded cheddar cheese, if using soy meat)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, crumble meat mixture, mix in the beaten egg. Gently stir in the rice and beans or corn if using.

2. Spread tomatoes and one cup water on the bottom of an ovenproof 9x13 inch inch baking dish.

3. Spoon beef mixture into peppers. 
Place peppers, cut side up, on top of the tomatoes. Top each pepper with salsa. Cover pan tightly with foil. (at this point you may freeze or continue with the recipe)

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until peppers are soft.

If using soy based meat: uncover baking pan, top each pepper with cheese Broil about 1 minute until the cheese is melted

Be sure to read these cook once, eat twice tips. Want to see more? Here are more Cook Once, Eat Twice recipes from thekosherchannel.com.