Couscous stuffed Bell Peppers

It’s taken me a while to write a new post… it’s just too hot in here! Thank god air conditioning has been invented because my brain would probably melt if I had to live without it. Why kitchens are not taken into consideration when we think about installing air conditioning… bedrooms are, dinning room is… but who has air conditioning in the kitchen? Raise your hands those of you who have the pleasure. Am I seeing two hands here?

Ok, forget about it, get yourself a good fan and try to be as quick as possible while preparing your meals.

bell peppers

This Couscous stuffed bell peppers will take nearly no effort and no sweat. I usually stuff the peppers with rice and meat (like butifarra, the catalan sausage), but this time I saw the recipe in a magazine and sounded so easy and appealing to me, I only changed two things: first .- the time you dedicate to bake/roast the peppers. The recipe asked for 20 to 30 minutes with the couscous inside and that is clearly not enough. So I baked the peppers empty first for 30 minutes and 20 when they were stuffed with the couscous. And the second thing.- I added some cashews to the vegetables and they gave that texture and flavour contrast to the dish, that in my opinion, improved it a bit :D.

couscous stuffed pepper

Why couscous instead of rice? Well, it took less time to cook and I like to try new things and combine different ingredients every time and couscous is a bit exotic to me; I don’t use it very often, it’s more a Maghreb ingredient than a Spanish one… but since we all share this wonderful Mediterranean sea and they are our neighbors, it enriches all parties to try the other’s products. And the result was delicious! I found the peppers in these three colors and since we are 3 at home, it felt perfect, colorful and so Mediterranean! You know that Mediterranean diet is in full swing now, and in view of how obesity is growing everywhere around the planet, we should take care of our health with a good and healthy meal! Are you with me?

3 peppers

Up with your sleeves and prepare this colorful and healthy starter for your family :D. One tip (quite obvious) with the couscous, instead of using plain water to cook it, use chicken stock and it will enhance the global flavor of the dish :D.

Enjoy and be healthy :D.

Recipe

Ingredients for 3 servings: 3 bell peppers, 1 pack of couscous (use whatever the instructions recommend for 3 servings), one carrot, one zucchini, one big onion, some chicken stock (the one suggested in the couscous package), half a teaspoon of ground cumin, half a teaspoon of red ground paprika, 5 grams of toasted and salty cashews, a branch of fresh mint leaves, some salt and olive oil.

Wash and dry the peppers. Preheat oven at 180ºC.
Place the peppers on a tray and bake for 30 minutes.
Take out of the oven, let them cool. Cut their upper part, clean from the seeds and reserve.
Clean and mince the mint leaves (aprox 8). Reserve. Peel the onion and the carrot and cut in small dices. Reserve. Wash the zuchinni and cut in small dices. Reserve.
In a big sauce pan, pour some olive oil (enough to slightly cover the surface) and place all the veggies: onion for 2 minutes, add the carrot and zucchini, add some salt and cook at medium heat for 7 minutes while you stir it all. Add the cashews and stir for another 30 seconds. Dress with the cumin and paprika, stir and reserve out of the heat.
Prepare the couscous following the package instructions and use chicken stock instead of water. Also add the minced mint leaves and a dash of olive oil.
Use a fork to give some air to the couscous and add the veggies to it. Fill the peppers with the mixture, place back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
Have them warm. And enjoy!

Labels:

bell peppers, couscous, food, recipes, spanish recipes, summer food, vegetables