rhizo, I sprinkled some dry ranch dressing on pork chops and roasted them in the oven at 450. The chops were juicy and tasty. I went easy on the dressing but will press more on each pork chop next time. I used almost one packet of dressing. I did not add the salt called for in the recipe, The dressing mix has quite enough sodium. I don't usually cook with processed products but I made an exception. We enjoyed them. recipe

This is how I would approach the challenge: 1. Turn the shred chicken (1/2 lb) into finely chopped chicken. 2. Scoop the black gills to give more room for the stuffing, and mix the black gills with the chicken to give it flavor. 3. Proportion-wise, chicken is 1/2. 4. The other 1/2: a. 1/4 chopped bacon. b. 1/4 finely crushed "Stove Top" stuffing. c. 1/4 chopped sweet Vidalia onion. d. 1/4 chopped celery. To the above, mix two tablespoons of vegetable oil, two tablespoons of sherry, one teaspoon of tapioca starch, one tablespoon of light soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and stuff the mushrooms and bake. dcarch .

I actually call myself a flexitarian. Most of my recipes can be adapted, to either include meat or dairy . . . or not. One of the main things that keeps me from eating more vegan food is my love of all things cheese. But it's not just that it is an animal product, it is also fattening so I try to limit it and take the most advantage of what cheese I do use, flavor and texture wise. I was pleasantly surprised how rich the cabbage saute tasted with the gluten links and tomato sauce, slow cooked. Plus polenta, which I love because it has a creamy texture without the cream, or at least can be made without cheese. I was also pleasantly surprised how FRESH spinach melded well with the quinoa, which tastes grassy to me. The spinach seemed to tone that down, with its assertive taste, which is also "herbal" but one I like. It makes all the difference in the world to use fresh spinach and not overcook it!

I agree with Chloebud on the freezing. Freeze the filling, and if on the day you want to make it and don't have the peppers on hand, you can put it in seeded zucchini or other squash halves, or small acorn squash, or just about any non-sweet fruit like that. Or just ramekins with a couple spoons of stock or water to make up for moisture from the peppers or other fruit. I haven't made them for a long time, so I don't have measurements, but a stuffed pepper I really like has chicken and feta cheese. Hollow the peppers, steam, poach or lightly roast the chicken pieces (or for heaven's sake use leftovers!), shred and add spices/seasonings to taste. Thyme or tarragon is great, plus some black pepper and sumac, but go with what you like. A plump kind of rice is nicer than basmati or other more toothsome kinds. White works well, but a sweet brown like Carolina gold is nice too. Cook the rice to well hydrated and tender. Crumble the feta or cut into small dice, about 2/3 to equal volume as the shredded chicken. Sauté white onion, about half the volume of the shredded chicken when raw and chopped, to just starting to get tender if you want them apparent, or to transparent if you like them less forward. Add same sized chop of the bits of the peppers tops removed from the stems, and and veg you like from same sized carrots to a handful of baby spinach. Sauté until tender or wilted or whatever. You only need a little of the added veg if you want a good portion of rice, but you can substitute veg for a lot of the rice if you prefer.. Mix all the ingredients warm so they'll start to meld and squeeze on a lot of fresh lemon juice. Add some more of the herbs and spices/seasonings you used on the chicken, to taste. You can add an egg or two as glue, but I don't bother. Stuff the peppers. Top with oiled breadcrumbs, cheese, or use some of the plain rice with an extra squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake. 360° F or so, until the tops are browning, the peppers are starting to color, and just starting to look wrinkly. If they're looking a little saggy take them out even if they're not browned or wrinkly yet. Use a thermometer to make sure they're cooked through as well as nice and hot. Thanks for bringing this up. I'm going to make them next week. It's been too long! :)