Wischi Waschi Wuschi

(Deconstructed stuffed peppers)

So this is one of those absolutely staples in my household. Where did the name come from? And what the heck does it mean? I couldn’t tell you. Can’t translate it but this is what someone extremely near and dear to my heart used to call it at the horse ranch I visited every year. Marlis was like a second mom to me and I dedicate this post to her. She recently lost her battle with cancer in Germany and despite that I was absolutely crushed, I was also so thankful that I was able to visit her the prior year and she got to meet my daughter.

This recipe was cooked weekly at the horse ranch camp that we stayed. Everyone loved it and I am fortunate enough to have gathered this recipe from her from over 25 years ago.

You can substitute with other grains or use beef, turkey, chicken as your protein. I prefer turkey so that is what this recipe will consist of. I like the deconstructed version of this as it cooks faster and is easier to eat in my mind. What do you think?

Ingredients:

• 2 bell peppers
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 15oz diced tomatoes (can also use crushed or tomato sauce – depends on how you like the consistency)
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1-2 tablespoon of tomato paste (To help thicken it up – try 1 tablespoon first and go from there)
• 1 table spoon Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 1 pack of 90 second microwaveable rice (White/Brown/Quinoa/Farro/Barley etc – use whatever you like!)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (Can use beef broth or water as well as an alternative)

Instructions:

1. Dice the onion and peppers into small pieces
2. Add some olive oil or avocado oil to a large pot/dutch oven and add ground meat once oil is hot
3. Add your seasoning and pepper/salt
4. Let the water cook off and then add the diced onion
5. Turn stove to medium and add the lid, occasionally stirring
6. Add the bell pepper pieces and continue stirring
7. Add a 1/4 cup of chicken broth and the tomato paste.
8. Stir well and then let it cook covered for 20 min, stirring occasionally.
9. Once done, turn off stove and let it simmer without the lid while you prepare the rice
10. Enjoy!

This is also a great meal to double up on and freeze without the rice or do meal prep portions. I think it tastes even better the following day. Your goal is for it to not be too runny and not too thick. But if it is a tad on the thinner side once you are done cooking it, you can always add a bit more tomato paste and then the rice will thicken it up as well.

I don’t have an accurate photo of my recipe but I found this one above from google (Theurbanlife.com) that looks pretty similar. I just dice my peppers and onions smaller and add a few other things. Let me know what you think!