Recipe - Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Green Peppers

It can be pretty difficult on a daily basis to feed your family (or yourself) the recommended daily four to five servings of vegetables.  I guess that's one of the reasons I love having a garden in the summer.  After all, who can pass up fresh corn, beans, tomatoes, and squash?  But the rest of the year, planning vegetable-centered meals takes a bit more imagination--and relatively frequent trips to the grocery store.  The other day my sister, Stacey, called to tell me about a new dish she had made her family the night before, Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Green Peppers.  A variation of the popular sandwich creation originating in Philadelphia, it includes all the usual ingredients (beef, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, provolone cheese) but without the bread.  These low-carb mounds of goodness are packed with so many veggies you'll come pretty close to your daily allotment in one meal!  Deli roast beef speeds up preparation on a busy week night, and a layer of melty cheese may entice younger members of the family to dig in.  Hope you like it as much as we did!  (Note: Red and Green Bell Peppers are $.89 each at Maceys this week.)

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Here's what you need to get started . . .

4 large green bell peppers, cut in half and cleaned out

1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 pound sliced deli roast beef, cut into small strips
1 large white onion sliced
2/3 cup peperoncini, chopped  
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms cleaned and sliced
4 large minced garlic cloves
2 Tbsp butter
1 or 2 Tbsp olive oil
8 to 12 slices provolone cheese
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 to 1 tsp dried oregano leaves or Italian seasoning   
1 to 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash and cut up your veggies.  Clean the seeds and membranes out of the red pepper and dice.

Cut the onion into thin rings . . .

. . . and clean and slice the mushrooms.

Drain and chop up your peperoncini and mince your garlic.

Now take out your sliced deli roast beef and cut into small strips.  I had them slice mine quite thick, as you can see.  So maybe around 5 or 6 slices per pound.

This stuff isn't cheap.  I got mine on sale for $7.99/lb (regularly $9.99/lb).  I almost grabbed a roast to take home and put in the oven instead, because it's tough for me to justify a price like this, but I just kept reminding myself that sometimes the convenience is worth it.  However, time permitting, you'll get way more for your money preparing your own roast beef.

Next on the agenda, get your green peppers ready.  You can do this one of two ways.  Either leave them entirely raw to stuff if you don't mind a bit of crispiness (since they won't entirely cook in the oven), or blanch them two or three minutes in boiling water, which is what I did.

Throw half of them in the rapidly boiling water at a time.  Set the timer and don't leave them in for more than 3 minutes (don't wait for the water to boil again before you start timing).

Another great use for Piggy!  The minute you pull them out, run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. 

Lay them on a paper towel to drain.

Now you're ready to start sauteing the vegetables.  Add butter and oil to your skillet.

Start with the onions.

Add the red peppers and cook a few minutes . . .

. . . then add the peperoncini, garlic, and mushrooms.  Season well with salt and pepper, and add the red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning (or oregano leaves).

Don't forget the Worcestershire!  Add an extra Tbsp if you wish--as well as extra red pepper flakes if you enjoy extra heat.

Finally, toss in your beef pieces and saute another minute or two.

Now it's time to assemble them.  Lay the peppers out in a casserole dish.  Salt the insides lightly.

Cut your provolone cheese slices in half.  I used 1 1/2 slices per pepper, but you could get by with 1.

Lay a half slice in the bottom of each pepper.

Distribute filling evenly among your pepper halves.  If it doesn't all fit, just save it to make hot Philly sandwiches another day.

Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven  for 20 minutes.  After that time, remove from oven and turn it to 400.  Take off foil and put another slice of cheese (or two) on top. 

When oven is up to 400, put the casserole back in (without the foil) and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or just until the cheese is slightly browned.  Don't overdo it. 

This is enough for 4 to 8 people, depending on who is eating them and what else you are serving.  We each ate one half pepper with broasted potatoes and garlic bread (so much for the low-carb effect!) and  then finished them up the next night.

Recipe - Slow-Cooker Chicken Chow Mein

I would like to welcome members of the River Heights Utah Stake who signed up at our Stake Preparedness Fair last week to receive weekly notifications for Savings for Sisters.  The more the merrier, I always say, and the same goes for this week's recipe, Slow Cooker Chicken Chow Mein, which serves 10 (but can rewarm well for an additional meal if there are fewer of you).  I made this particular version for the first time a few weeks ago, and it was so tasty that I now have one more keeper for my arsenal of slow-cooker recipes.  Low in fat and full of protein and vegetables, it can be served over noodles (thin spaghetti), rice, or the crispy chow mein noodles found in the Asian food section at the store. This is Americanized Chinese food to be sure, but I think your family will enjoy it nonetheless.

This is one of the recipes featured at the Preparedness Fair which fits well into a 3-month food supply plan, since it calls for canned ingredients along with fresh.  Then, if the time comes when fresh meat and vegetables are unavailable, you can substitute canned chicken and whatever canned or stored vegetables you have on hand at that time.  Meanwhile your supply of canned chicken need not sit on the shelf getting old, but can be used in so many different ways, including this dish in place of fresh chicken, for a convenient time saver anytime.  See easy instructions below.

Storage Item of the Week 

Big Buy 16 oz Bacon  My choice for this week isn't a storage item in the usual sense because it is perishable, but remember that your freezer is also a source of food storage.  Big Buy Bacon is Buy one Get one Free at Maceys this week.  Since the price is $2.79, that means that when you get a free one the total price per pound is only $1.39, which is a rock-bottom price for Bacon.  This particular brand can either be either nice and lean or quite fatty, depending on how carefully you choose it (and to some extent, the luck of the draw, since you can't really see everything when you're picking out a package of bacon).  I've had a few times over the years when I opened a package that really had too much fat for the amount of lean, but for the most part, for the price, I have been very satisfied.  Here's an example of a particularly nice package.

You can see, this looks extra lean even compared to the most expensive brands, but you have to spend some time sorting through the packages and being picky.  Bacon like this can be frozen for at least a year with no loss of quality.  The Maceys ad says you can only get two free ones per visit, but if you want more than that, just return to the store more than once during the week.  I plan to stock up during this sale, because at this price even if I get a package or two that has more fat than I would like, I simply cut off and discard some of the fattier parts with a pair of kitchen scissors and fry up the leaner portion to use in a variety of summer dishes, such as baked beans, broccoli salad, dutch oven potatoes, etc.  For my super easy method of cooking bacon, go HERE.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chow Mein

• 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups sliced celery
• 1 red bell pepper, diced large
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 3 cups packaged coleslaw mix
• 1 large bunch green onions, sliced
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can bean sprouts, drained
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained & cut in half
• 1 can canned mushrooms, drained (or use fresh)  
• 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/3 cup water
• Noodles or Rice
  
  First, cut up your chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  
  Next, cut up your veggies.  Celery . . .
  
  
  Peppers . . .
  
  Carrots . . .
  
  and Green Onions .  Reserve a few of the dark green ends for garnish later.
  
  Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker, then add all the cut up vegetables as well as the packaged coleslaw mix.
  
  
  Drain the bean sprouts, water chestnuts (cut these in half), and canned mushrooms.  You can substitute fresh mushrooms if you wish.
  
  Add these to the slow cooker.  Mix up the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, crushed red pepper, ginger, and garlic.  Do not add the cornstarch and water yet.
  
  
  Pour the liquid over the vegetables and chicken.
  
  Stir everything together.
  
  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. 
  
  For the last hour, turn the cooker to high and mix the cornstarch into cold water until smooth. 
  
  Pour into cooker and stir in gently but thoroughly. 
  
    Cook another hour or until thickened.
  
  Sprinkle green onions on top.
  
  Serve over rice, noodles, or crispy Chow Mein noodles. Serve with additional soy sauce if desired.