Stuffed Peppers

So I kind of made this up as I went along...

Started with the idea of stuffed bell peppers and a fancy box of rice-a-roni, added some stuff and voila!

The bell peppers need to be softened up a bit first so wash them, cut them in half, take out the veins and seeds, and place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Cook at 325 for 30 min.  Skin of peppers should be just starting to get wrinkly.

This is the box of "Rice Pilaf" I used.  I had made a similar recipe before using a box of cheesy risotto, but when I went into Vons I couldn't find that again so I settled for this.

Then I added in some extras: some diced mushrooms, some chopped walnuts, a drizzle of truffle oil, and some shredded Parmesan cheese.

I got this truffle oil from my friend Dom, who bought it for a recipe she made, ended up not liking it, then was kind enough to think of me, her foodie friend, Laura!  This stuff is good, but potent- so use sparingly! 

Very umami...

So follow the directions on the package for your rice.  In this case it was add 1 3/4 Cup water and 1 Tbsp butter or oil to saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Add rice and season package.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to low , cover and simmer 18-20 minutes or till liquid is mostly absorbed.  Towards the last few minutes I added the mushrooms.  Once I turned off the heat, I added the truffle oil, a little Parmesan (I saved most of the cheese to add on top) and the walnuts.

I dispersed the rice mixture into the bell pepper halves and then topped with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Then back in the oven!  Crank up the heat to 350 and cook for another 30 minutes.

And the result:

Cheesy goodness!