Gluten-Free Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

This past month has been a hodge-podge of last minute meals.  Time to get back to menu planning.  I like to plan menus around what's growing in the garden, sales and coupons.  I also plan to use up leftovers and knowing what's for dinner avoids that last minute scramble to get something, anything on the table.

This Week's Menus

• Swedish Meatballs (Ikea), boiled potatoes, cinnamon honey carrots
• Pork Loin Roast, baked sweet potatoes, corn
• Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot, mashed potatoes
• Crockpot Greek Lemon Chicken, rice, home canned green beans
• Pulled Pork sandwiches from leftover pork roast, cole slaw, 3 bean salad

I got the pork loin roast on a buy-one-get-one-free sale and the ground sirloin was free with a coupon when I bought both hamburger buns and beans.  LOVE those kind of deals!

Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot with OAMC* option
Serves 4 - 8

4 bell peppers
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 cup cold cooked rice
3 tablespoons dried minced onion (or 1 cup very finely minced fresh onion)
2 garlic cloves, grated on the microplane
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons gluten-free quick oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (26 oz.) jar traditional style pasta sauce (not marinara - it will get watery)

Spray interior of crockpot with non-stick.  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta sauce and pour remaining sauce into crockpot.

Cut tops off peppers.  Discard stems, keep tops and mince.  Discard seeds.  Check to see if pepper will stand upright.  If it won't, trim the base without cutting through to center, so it will stand upright.

In a large bowl, combine beef, cooked rice, pepper tops, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce.  Mix well.

Fill each pepper with meat mixture, pressing firmly, mounding it on top. *Prepare to this point for OAMC; tightly wrap individually in plastic, place in ziptop bag and freeze.  Unwrap frozen and thaw upright before proceeding.

Place peppers into crockpot.  Spoon some of the sauce onto each.

Cook on Low 6 - 8 hours or on High 4 - 6 hours.  Test temperature for doneness at minimum time.

Leftovers reheat well in microwave.

*Once A Month Cooking

Italian Vegetable Soup for the Freezer OMAC

Every summer I make this awesome soup and stash containers of it in the freezer.  Every winter, as I open the last container, I swear that NEXT year I will make more than one batch.  It is so very, very good.  It comes from the mom of a former co-worker at Sears.  I had huge zukezillas that I was trying to get rid of share with my co-workers.  And, this lady said "Can I take two?"  Me: "YES! Take them all! Um, I mean sure, help yourself."  She then went into a discription of the Best, Best soup her mom makes.  I'm thinking "Zucchini Soup? Ok, whatever floats your boat."  The next week she brought in a container of soup and gave it to me like it was an award.  And I'm thinking "Zucchini soup...".  I warmed it up and served it with dinner.  All I heard was "Umm! Yum! Wow! Is there more?" and slurp, slurp, slurp.  Then, "Did you get the recipe?"  My heart fell - "No.  I didn't think to ask."  Walt: "Ask."  So I asked, and gracious lady that she is, she pulled out a piece of scribbled notes with spatters.  Seems her mom is a pinch of this and a dash of that kind of cook and she was madly scribbling as the ingredients hit the pot.

Italian Zucchini Soup

2 pounds zucchini squash, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
1/2 green pepper, cut in 1/2-inch squares
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (from a tub, not a green can)
8 ounces green beans, cut in 1" pieces
1 large potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1can (15 ounce can) garbanzo beans, drained
1 can (14 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14 ounces) water
2 pints OR 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

Partially peel zucchini lengthwise, leaving 5 or 6 narrow strips of green, like stripes. Cut zucchini into bite-size pieces. If seeds are large, remove and discard before cutting up zucchini.

Warm oil over low heat; add onion, garlic, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Chop and add veggies as they're chopped. Stir in green pepper, green beans, potatoes and zucchini. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, water, garbanzo beans and cheese. Mix well. Bring mixture to a low simmer, cover and cook about 1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Leftovers freeze well.