Couscous Stuffed Peppers For Two Recipes

STUFFED PEPPERS FOR TWO

Steps:

• Cut tops off peppers and discard; remove seeds. Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside. , In a bowl, combine beef, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, rice, 2 tablespoons cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and egg; mix well. Stuff the peppers; place in an ungreased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover and bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and peppers are tender. , Sprinkle with remaining cheese; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

SLOW-COOKER COUSCOUS-STUFFED PEPPERS (COOKING FOR 2)

Steps:

• Place Reynolds™ Slow Cooker Liners inside a 5- to 6 1/2 -qt slow cooker bowl. Make sure that liner fits snugly against the bottom and sides of bowl and pull the top of the liner over rim of bowl.
• Cut thin slice from stem end of each bell pepper to remove top of pepper. Remove seeds and membranes; rinse peppers.
• In 10-inch skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, salt, cumin, cinnamon and red pepper. Stir in couscous. Divide beef mixture evenly among peppers.
• Pour water into lined slow cooker; stand peppers upright in cooker.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until peppers are tender. Garnish with pine nuts and cilantro.

COUSCOUS STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4.
• Place couscous in a shallow dish and cover with 300ml of boiling water; cover the dish with clingfilm and set aside for 5 minutes.
• Cut 'lids' off the tops off the peppers and scrape the seeds out from inside; place the peppers and their lids in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water; cook the peppers for 5 minutes, drain and set aside to cool.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the cumin seeds, coriander and cayenne pepper and fry for a few seconds before adding the onion and garlic; fry gently for 3-5 minutes until the onion is transparent.
• Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and green beans, stir to mix and fry for a further 2-3 minutes; stir in the couscous and remove from the heat.
• Stand the peppers up in a shallow dish, fill the pepper cavities with couscous mix, put on their lids; bake for about 35-40 minutes.

SWEET AND SOUR COUSCOUS-STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Pulse the carrots, celery and shallots in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. (Add a splash of water if the mixture begins to stick.) Add the ground beef and 4 teaspoons of the tomato paste and cook, breaking the mixture up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, the parsley, raisins, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until most of the water is absorbed and the mixture gets saucy, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, toss the pepper halves with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the peppers are pliable, 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully uncover the bowl and pour out any liquid that has accumulated.
• Stir the couscous into the beef mixture. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 3/4 cup water in the bottom of a large baking dish.
• Carefully transfer the peppers to the baking dish cut-side up and fill each pepper with the couscous mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the peppers are tender and the stuffing is hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature drizzled with the tomato cooking liquid.

COUSCOUS-STUFFED PEPPERS WITH BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Filling: In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth and cumin to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover the pan until the couscous is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes. Put the couscous in a large bowl and add the beans, currants, spinach, feta and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.
• Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the ribs and seeds. If necessary, cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. Stuff the peppers with the filling and drizzle the tops with olive oil. Put the peppers in an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish. Fill the baking dish with 3/4-inch hot water and bake until the filling is golden and the peppers are cooked through, about 55 to 60 minutes. Cooks
• Sauce: In a blender, combine the basil, creme fraiche, olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Remove the peppers from the oven and arrange on serving plates. Spoon the sauce around the peppers and serve.

COUSCOUS AND FETA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the stems out of the bell peppers and cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out all the seeds and membranes. Boil the prepared peppers for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove them from water and let them drain cut side down.
• Bring the broth to boil in a saucepan and add the couscous. Cover the pan and remove it from the heat.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Cook the onion, zucchini, yellow squash, fennel seeds, oregano, and salt for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.
• Remove skillet from heat and add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Fluff the couscous with a fork and add it to the skillet, mixing it with the vegetables. Stir in the crumbled feta.
• Arrange the peppers in the baking dish cut sides up (like little boats)and fill them with the couscous/vegetable mixture. (The filling will be heaping unless your peppers are very large.).
• Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

COUSCOUS-STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and stir in the couscous. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Peel the onion and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the ends of the stems off the mushrooms and thinly slice. Peel the carrot and cut into 1/4-inch cubes.
• Generously coat a sauté pan with cooking spray and add the onion, mushrooms, and carrot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. Remove from the heat, add the couscous and peas, and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove and discard the seeds. Place the peppers in a baking pan, trimming the bottoms, if necessary, to make them stand up. Fill the peppers with the couscous mixture and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the peppers are soft. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
• At first glance mushrooms seem rather insignificant nutritionally. In fact, the only numbers on the nutrition labels that aren't zeros are 20 calories and 3 grams of carbs. But, if you dig a little further you will find that they are actually an excellent source of selenium, a mineral that works closely with vitamin E to produce antioxidants that can decrease the risk of cancer and other diseases of aging. They also contain a significant amount of potassium, which helps maintain normal heart rhythm, fluid balance, muscle, and nerve function. And all this time I just thought they tasted good.