Clean out the Veggie Drawer, Stuffed Peppers

First things first...
I know the idea of stuffed peppers is not a new one, but I was inspired to make mine from this recipe I found. My Inspiration Linked Here I just wanted to give credit for my inspiration, even though our recipes are different.
I also want to mention that there are no actual measurements for this recipe.  Unless there is a very specific recipe I am following, I am more of an eye ball chef.  If it looks good, probably going to taste good.
I originally planned on making these in the crockpot (I know it's cool to call it a slow cooker nowadays, but I've never been accused of being cool...so crockpot it is!), but they really should be cooked on low for 8-10 hours and I kept forgetting to put them in early enough.  At this point I had the peppers and didn't want them to go to waste, so I plunked them in the oven for 2 hours instead.
Here are the ingredients I pulled out of my fridge and freezer:

Couple packages of ground 99% ground turkey, baby spinach, mushrooms, carrots, a big fat onion, broccoli/cauliflower mix...from the freezer:  basil I froze from my garden this summer, some tomatoes that my Mum gave me from her garden, and some yummy-ummy chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.  The chipotle came in a little can.  I freeze it in a freezer bag and just break off little chunks to add to recipes.  It really adds some spice and a nice smoky flavor AND it really loves to be with basil.  These are the things that I had on hand, but any of your favorites will work.  I'm thinking some diced eggplant or zucchini will go nice too...but not this time!

So one of the bestest gifts my hubby ever gave me was my stand mixer.  Silly I know, but I love it.  He use to buy me jewelry or flowers until I finally told him that it was a waste of money and start buying me stuff I REALLY like.  Don't get me wrong, jewelry is nice, but I will maybe wear it 3 times a year and my mixer I use almost every day...you do the math.  Anyway, I used a package and a half of ground turkey.  I think I was nervous I wouldn't have enough to fill the big ole peppers I bought, but I did.

Next I added veggies to my super duper blender/food processor.  You can chop veggies a fine or as big as you like, but we preferred them chopped up fine.  Everything I added was by the "handful".  Handful of carrots, handful of broccoli/cauliflower mix, whole onion.

Next it was..you guessed it, a handful of frozen garden tomatoes, mushrooms, a BIG handful of baby spinach and some basil.  The smell of the tomatoes and basil coming from my blender made my mouth water!  Nothing, I mean nothing, beats a garden tomato.  The end.

I add all the chopped deliciousness to the ground turkey with a few hearty shakes of garlic powder and onion powder.  Later I realize I forgot black pepper, and mix it well.

Look how beautiful!  And it smells so good!  Mixture is now going into the gutted peppers.  I just cut the tops off the peppers and scooped out the insides and some of the ribbing and rinsed them.

Here are the peppers all stuffed and added to my pot.  This is my pot I use for pasta, but lucky me, it also can go in the oven!  The tops of my peppers looked to pretty to discard, so I kept them, cute huh?  There was also some leftover turkey/veggie mixture left over so I just plopped it down in between the peppers.  I added a 1/2 cup of water to make sure nothing burnt to the bottom.  I also sprayed the inside of the pot with cooking spray.  Now cover and place in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours.  If you are crockpotting these I would cook them on low for 8-10 hours.

Here is the finished results!  Dinner is served!  My husband Dan, our oldest daughter Miranda and I ate these for a late night dinner last night.  I didn't make a side dish and I was nervous it wasn't enough food.  I was wrong, these were soooo filling!!  The little side scoop of meat filling was what cooked around the peppers.  A tasty little meatball.  When I asked Dan and Miranda what I should do differently if I made these again the answer they both gave was:  CHEESE!  OK, I was trying to keep it light, but they were right.  Dan suggested a slice or 2 of mozzarella halfway through the pepper...ummm ok! 

I also think next time I will use one package of ground turkey and add even more veggies.  I think it would also be good with some sauteed mushrooms and onions with a can of chopped tomatoes to top it off with after it's cooked.  Suggestions welcome.  What do you think?

As always, thanks for stopping by :)