Carolina Bison Stuffed Green Peppers

One of the easiest, and tastiest summer meals. You can stuff a variety of garden fresh peppers with an equal variety of garden fresh ingredients. My friend April is known for her roasted sausage and cheese stuffed green chillies; hot, smoky and incredible. From Mexico to the Middle East, you can find variations of this dish, highlighting the culture's regional abundance.

The WNC region happens to have more variety than I often know what to do with. Local grass fed beef, lamb, pork, goat, rabbit, hand crafted cheeses, locally grown grains, herbs, vegetables of all colors, flavors and sizes, and for this dish, locally raised bison.

The best part about stuffed peppers? You can mess with the filling until the cows come home, and then you can use the cow to stuff the next batch. Whatever you have a taste for, this is an incredibly versatile dish. Have fun.

Carolina Bison Stuffed Green Peppers:

*4 fresh green bell peppers, cored, seeds removed

*1 Tbsp. butter

*1 small onion, chopped

*2 garlic cloves, minced

*1 celery stalk, chopped

*sea salt and pepper

*1/3-1/2 pound local ground bison

*1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

*2 tsp. tamari or high quality soy sauce

*1 Tbsp. grainy mustard

*1 1/2 cups cooked brown or wild rice

*1 small tomato, chopped. *optional

*1/2 cup shredded raw milk cheddar

Preheat oven to 350. Line a small baking dish with parchment.

Heat butter in a cast iron skillet. Saute the onion, garlic and celery until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the ground bison. Brown, stirring often. Add the cumin, tamari and mustard and chopped tomato. Gently incorporate. Add the rice, stir and remove from heat. Bison should be medium rare. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Stir half of the shredded cheddar into the meat/rice mixture.

Using a large spoon, begin stuffing each pepper with the filling, gently packing as you go. Top each pepper with the remaining cheddar. Bake until top of peppers are golden and bubbly, and pepper is just tender, about 20 minutes.

Top with chopped parsley and serve.