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Stuffed Bell Peppers

September 28th, 2008 · 11 Comments

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I made this dish a few months ago, when we were following a detox diet. Basically, we went vegetarian for a month. I have a fetish for veggies, and therefore didn’t really mind the detox. My husband though, did suffer the first couple of days, complaining he was always hungry! However, given the lovely dishes I was rustling up, he began to embrace going veggie. I made this several times because it is very filling and the explosion of different flavors is quite mind-blowing: the piquant rice with exotic surprises of fruits, the crunch of the pine nuts and the sweetness of the Bell peppers, finished off by the the tangy flavor of the coriander… Ummmmm delish!

4 medium Bell Peppers

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, finely chopped

3 tomatoes, diced and retain the juice

300g brown rice, uncooked

600 ml vegetable broth

500g cooked chickpeas

handful spinach 

3 Tablespoon pine nuts

25g dried mixed fruit (cranberries, raspberries, raisins, strawberries)

1 Tablespoon paprika

1/2 cup finely chopped corriander

2 teaspoons salt

Cracked pepper

3 tablespoons of olive oil

 

For the Rice

Let’s begin by making the rice. Rinse the rice well under a running tap. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a deep heavy pot on high heat, and begin sauteeing the garlic for about a minute. Then add the onions and sautee all together. Now add the tomatoes and all its juice. Add the chickpeas, paprika and the salt and mix well. Next add the rice and stir well. Pour in the vegetable broth, cover with lid and bring to a boil. Allow it to boil on high heat for 5 minutes, then lower the heat. Do not lift the lid, as it will allow the steam to escape, disturbing the cooking process. At this point you will need to refer to the instructions on your rice package for the exact cooking time. I cooked mine for 30 minutes and then let it sit off the flame for a further 10 minutes. Although it’s not on the flame, the steam cooks the rice. That is why it’s pivotal not to lift the lid, unnecessarly. Once it done, mix in the chopped coriander, spinach, toasted pine nuts (see below) and mixed fruits. Sprinkle liberally with cracked pepper, to taste. 

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For the pine nuts

Place a small sautee pan on medium heat and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the pine nuts. Make sure you are constantly turning the pine nuts until they are golden on all sides, toasting them for 1/2 a minute. Remove immediately from pan so as not to burn them. 

For the bell peppers

Pre-heat oven to 4 gas/350 fahrenheit/180 celsius.  Cut off top of peppers or pepper caps and de-gut them. Wash the peppers. 

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Now, oil the bell peppers on the inside. Normally, I would add a teaspoon of sugar but given that we were on a detox, it was forbidden. If you wish to add sugar, feel free to do so at this point. Next, cover a pan with tin foil and then evenly cover with oil. Try to stand the bell peppers in the pan. If they are tipping over, then take a knife and slice a thin bit of the bottom! A bit, just enough to allow them to sit nicely, without poking a hole in it’s bottom! Using your hands nicely lather the outside of the bell peppers with olive oil and begin stuffing with the rice mixture.

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Cover with the caps

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and cover the pan with foil, then place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.  


Tags: Recipes

11 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Jason // Sep 28, 2008 at 6:52 pm

    Those look good. Love cooked peppers.

  • 2 ude // Sep 28, 2008 at 10:49 pm

    they look fantastic and the filling sounds delicious !
    i also like your pictures and the colors of the peppers very much…
    very nice and looks delicious !

  • 3 Manggy // Sep 29, 2008 at 3:22 pm

    Congratulations on a successful month of detox! (I wish I had the willpower!) The stuffed peppers look very delish!

  • 4 Neo // Sep 29, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    Sounds delicious. And what a great picture! Awesome.

  • 5 Rosa // Sep 29, 2008 at 6:45 pm

    A delicious dish! I love bell peppers!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  • 6 kang // Sep 29, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    these stuffed peppers look so great, I have good memories of these, I had an ex-girlfriend who once surprised me wif them after I came back from work…she stuffed them wif cous cous instead, memories :D

  • 7 khunying // Sep 30, 2008 at 10:21 pm

    Looks Good and Healthy! I will try this.

  • 8 Jo:c // Oct 26, 2008 at 8:37 pm

    looked at this post and had the biggest cravings for it after seeing ur pics. mmmmm very tasty!

  • 9 mandy // Oct 28, 2008 at 1:12 am

    i just wanted to say that i just made this and followed the recipe exactly and it was great!! i’m a new vegetarian and this encourages me!! although my rice did not turn out as pretty as yours is was very tasty!!

    5 stars!

  • 10 Bethany // Nov 10, 2008 at 8:26 pm

    They look really good. I especially love how you used different colored peppers, very pretty.

    It’s nice meeting another Bethany, not too many of us :)

  • 11 DirtyKitchenSecret // Nov 10, 2008 at 9:26 pm

    Mangy- thank you! it is easier than you think…you feel ace afterwards!
    Kang- Thank you… I love couscous and it is a great substitute as well!
    Mandy- Thank you very much for letting me know how the recipe worked for you! Do check back often! Although I’m not a vegan per-se I do eat loads and loads of veggies and love em, so you’ll surely find some ideas here ;)
    Bethany- You’re right… there are very few of us :)

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