Keto Stuffed Veggies

Keto Stuffed Veggies

So I was at Kroger and saw they had a bag of mixed veggies grouped together in their $1 clearance section. Now, we always find junk cheaper than fresh produce, so I always like to jump on to clearanced food. Helps reduce food waste AND I save money. The only downside is we have to eat it pretty quickly, so it's the first items on my meñu. This little bundle pack consisted of 6 Hatch Chiles,1 Zucchini and 1 red Bell Pepper. I combined this with another zucchini and green Bell Pepper I had at home, that I didn't know what I'd do with. This was enough, with some leftover, for our family of 5. I tried to take pictures as I was cooking, so they are blurry and just not the best pictures, but they show the gist of it. The best thing about this, is being able to make this a vegetarian dish by just omitting the chicken. You can also stuff them with any meat or cheese you prefer. I use Queso Fresco because it doesn't completely melt away and it is keto friendly, without any added flours like shredded cheese.

Ingredients: Chicken (or your meat of choice, omit for vegetarian dish) Queso Fresco Veggies to stuff: Zucchini, Squash, Hatch Chiles, Bell Pepper, or your choice of Chiles For the Sauce: Tomatoes Onion Garlic Salt & Pepper Water (A Jar of Low Carb Fresh Salsa can be used here too) Here's the steps, as EASY as possible: 1.) Boil your chicken (or cook your meat). I used chicken legs as they are the cheapest. 2.) Put your Hatch Chiles on a cookie sheet, along with a couple tomatoes. Rub them with Olive or Avocado oil and place them under the broiler for a couple minutes. Flip, roast the other side. When done, place chiles inside a plastic bag, and close up. Leave for 20 minues. (This is great for any chiles, Anaheim, Poblano, etc.) 3.) Preheat Oven to 350°. Shred your chicken while your Chiles soften up in the bag. Cut your Queso Fresco in strips. 4.) Place your tomatoes, quarter of an onion and 2 garlic cloves into a blender. You can add a little cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste and about 4 TBS of water. Blend. 5.) Pour about 1/4 cup of the salsa into the bottom of a casserole dish. I used a 9x13. 6.) Slice zucchini halfway, hot dog style. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. You'll be hollowing out the middle. 7.) Cut Bell Peppers in half, deseed. 8.) Hatch chiles are ready! Open up the bag, pull the hard skin off of them. You should be left with the silky skin. Cut the tops off of them and pull out the seeds. 9.) Stuff everything! Use the queso fresco and stuff into the cavities of all veggies, using as much or as little as you want. Chiles might be slippery. If they break open, use a toothpick to close them back up. 10.) Put stuffed veggies into the casserole dish and pour remaining sauce over. Put into oven for 30 minutes. For my non-keto kids, I made some rice while the veggies were in the oven, and their bell peppers were served over it. For my husband and I, who are keto, I used frozen riced cauliflower as a rice substitute.