Stuffed Roasted Red Peppers

In all my years of cooking, I have never tried to stuff and roast, well, anything. Until now.

If you’ve been following along the Eat For Your Health nutrition series, you may have noticed that this week’s plan calls for stuffed roasted red peppers. I generally stay away from recipes that take a ton of time or require a lot of ingredients (save for spices), so I was reluctant to include a recipe that involves stuffing AND roasting.

But, at 25 minutes and eight ingredients, I could handle this.

I made these without the feta cheese and added extra spinach.

And, for those of you are spinach adverse (like me), here are five quick reasons you should be eating more of this leafy green.

1. It is an excellent source of micro nutrients and vitamins, including: vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6 (Source).
2. It contains thykaloids, which are “small pouches located in the chloroplasts of green leaves that have the ability to trigger satiety signals in us” (Source).
3. It is low in calories, but very nutrient dense (Source).
4. Studies have shown spinach can improve bone health, skin and hair (Source).
5. It is been linked to reducing blood pressure (Source).

So, here is the recipe for the Stuffed Roasted Red Peppers. Adjust accordingly.

[recipe title="Stuffed Roasted Red Pepper" servings="6" time="30-45 min"]

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large red bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 ounces fresh spinach
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup uncooked couscous (about 2 cups cooked)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Roast the bell peppers on a gas stove’s open flame, turning them with tongs, until the skins are blackened, for about 2-3 minutes; or roast them on a rack under the broiler 2 inches from the heat, turning them every 5 minutes, for about 15 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let them cool. When cool enough to handle, peel peppers starting at the stem end, carefully cut off the tops with a paring knife, and rinse out any seeds. Set aside.

2. Lightly coat a sauté pan with olive oil; place over medium heat. Sauté garlic until it begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add spinach; cook over medium heat until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in lemon juice and salt; place spinach in a bowl. Preheat oven to 350°.

3. In a small pot, cook couscous according to package directions (about 5 minutes). Using a spatula, add the couscous and the feta cheese to the wilted spinach, and mix well.

4. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Generously stuff all the peppers with couscous-spinach stuffing, and place on a baking sheet. Bake on the center rack for about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Full recipe: Health.com

[/recipe]

XO | britt