As someone who does not always eat meat, I often struggle to find vegetarian options that are easy to make and high enough in protein to make up for a meatless meal. However, stuffed red chili peppers make a perfect meal for anyone—vegetarian or otherwise—to spice up the day as Chicago gears up for another long winter. 

First, cut off the tops from the four red bell peppers and remove all seeds, hollowing out their centers.

Open the 15-ounce can of black beans and rinse them in a medium strainer. On a cutting board, chop the small onion into small pieces. Then, in a large mixing bowl, mix the beans, a cup of shredded cheese, 3/4 cup of salsa, a chopped onion, 1/3 cup uncooked converted long-grain rice, 1 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin.

Next, scoop the mixture into the peppers and stuff them tightly. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray so it is lightly coated and place the four stuffed peppers into the slow cooker on the low setting.

Now that the peppers are stuffed and in the slow cooker, wait about four hours until they are ready to eat. Use this time to do something productive: Pick up the most recent copy of The Chronicle and read it front to back, maybe write a lovely letter to the editor if you have time. Just do not forget to come back to the peppers after four hours. At this point, remove them from the slow cooker, feel free to serve them with a topping of sour cream and enjoy!