I went to the market this past weekend and came across some beautiful large bell peppers so I had to buy them. They were the perfect size to stuff, but I came to realize that I am not a huge fan of [large portions of] cooked bell peppers so I ended up, eating the filling in a bowl. I saved (froze) the left over peppers to possibly make some sweet-n-sour chicken, quesadillas, stir-fry, roasted pepper hummus…so many options; I will probably make them all.
Ingredients
2 bell peppers, tops removed and cored
¼ c green lentils
¾ c diced tomatoes
½ lb ground turkey
½ c couscous
½ tsp sumac
½ tsp cumin
1 tbls Worcestershire
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbls unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350
Season the ground turkey with the Worcestershire, ½ tsp salt and pepper, let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Thoroughly rinse the lentils with cold water. In a small saucepan bring 2 cups of water to a boil; add in lentils, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, cumin and sumac. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
Begin to brown the ground turkey over medium heat, once halfway cooked add in the tomatoes and cook until the ground turkey is thoroughly cooked. Stir in the cooked lentils.
In a small saucepan bring ¾ c water and 1 tbls butter to boil. Stir in the couscous; remove from fire, cover and let sit for 5 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
Combine the couscous and meat mixture, adding in any extra seasonings you may desire. Place the peppers in a deep baking pan and fill with the mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes until peppers are tender
Note on sumac: this is a Middle Eastern spice, so it can be found at specialty grocers. It has a lemon flavor so you can substitute lemon pepper or grated lemon zest. There is no true substitute for it though.
Notes: You can use ground beef or lamb. If you choose to go with lamb add some mint and dill when cooking and top the peppers with feta. If using beef use more Worcestershire, salt and pepper to season it.
Dr. Foodie 