Stuffed Bell Peppers
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!
Stuffed Bell Peppers
- 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 coriander
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Cracked pepper
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
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 bottomed pot on high heat, and begin sauteing the onions for about two minutes. Then add the garlic and saute another minute. 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. 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 it was still a bit al dente. Although it’s not on the flame, the steam cooks the rice. Once it is done, mix in the chopped coriander, spinach, toasted pine nuts (see below) and mixed fruits. Season liberally with cracked pepper, to taste.
For the pine nuts
Place a small saute 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 (remove seeds) them. Wash the peppers.
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, make sure the bell peppers can stand in the pan. if they are tipping over, then take a knife and slice a thin bit off the bottom. A bit, just enough to allow them to sit nicely, without making a hole. Now, cover a pan with tin foil, lightly grease with olive oil. Using your hands lather the outside of the bell peppers with olive oil and begin stuffing with the rice mixture.
Cover with the caps
and cover the pan with foil, then place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.
Those look good. Love cooked peppers.
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 !
Congratulations on a successful month of detox! (I wish I had the willpower!) The stuffed peppers look very delish!
Sounds delicious. And what a great picture! Awesome.
A delicious dish! I love bell peppers!
Cheers,
Rosa
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
Looks Good and Healthy! I will try this.
looked at this post and had the biggest cravings for it after seeing ur pics. mmmmm very tasty!
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!
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
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
the instructions are realy usefull !
also great, that you have the temperatures in farenheit and celsius !
good for europeans
I LOVE THESE PEPPERS!!! I’ve made them a few times now and each time they tastes better then the last. I love making them for dinner when we have guests. People are always impressed as they think the peppers must be difficult to make, but they’re actually very easy. Great recipe!