Smoked Corn Stuffed Pepper

8 lg Green peppers

1 1/4 ts Salt; divided

1 ts Ground black pepper

3 c Cooked rice

15 oz Canned black beans

-- drained and rinsed 11 oz Canned Mexican-style corn

-- drained 1 md Onion; chopped

1 c Chopped walnuts

4 oz Canned chopped green chilies

1/2 ts Liquid smoke

1/2 ts Ground cumin

2 oz Monterey Jack w/jalapenos

-- shredded. (Optional)

--GARNISH

-- Jalapeno pepper slices Cut a thin slice from stem end of each pepper; remove seeds and membranes; rinse. Cook peppers 5 minutes in enough boiling water to cover; drain. Season inside of peppers with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper; set aside. Combine rice, beans, corn, onion, walnuts, chiles, liquid smoke, cumin and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spoon 1 cup rice mixture into each pepper; stand upright in 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cover pan with foil; bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle peppers with cheese. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with jalapeno pepper slices. Microwave Oven Instructions: Cut a thin slice from the stem end of each pepper; remove seeds and membrane and rinse. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper; set upside down on a paper towel to drain. Combine rice, corn, onion, walnuts, chiles, liquid smoke, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt in 13x9-inch microproof casserole. Cook on HIGH 2 minutes. Spoon 1 cup mixture into each pepper; place them back in casserole. Pour 1/4-inch water in bottom of dish. Cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on MEDIUM (50% power) for 7 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle cheese on top of each pepper. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Garnish with jalapeno pepper slices. Each serving provides: * 293 calories * 10.1 g. protein * 10.4 g. fat * 43.8 g. carbohydrate * 5.2 g. dietary fiber * 0 mg. cholesterol * 465 mg. sodium. [Karen's note: The nutritional information obviously does not count the Jack cheese, which is an OPTIONAL ingredient.] Source: "Veg-able Rice" Reprinted with permission from USA Rice Council Electronic format courtesy of Karen Mintzias