Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice tops off peppers and clean out the seeds. (for the Halloween edition, carve jack o lantern faces with a small knife)

Stand the peppers in a roasting pan or casserole dish. If you want really soft peppers, bake for 10 minutes at this point.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and drain grease. For chicken, season with salt and pepper, cook until done, remove from pan to shred or cut into small pieces and return to skillet. Mix in the taco seasoning with 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water.

Add salsa, black beans and cooked rice, mix well and simmer for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Stuff peppers with meat mixture, sprinkle on cheese and place the tops back on. Bake, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the cheese to melt and the peppers to soften to your preference.

Remove from oven and serve with your choice of toppings. We added lettuce, tomato, cilantro and sour cream!