VEGETARIAN STUFFED CAPSICUMS

People seem to have the opinion that making stuffed capsicums is fiddly and an ordeal. I am here to smash that belief. Tired of eating meat the past few nights, I decided to cook a vegetarian dinner two nights ago. Having made stuffed capsicums with couscous a few months ago, I decided to attempt this again. Due to my recent oath to not use butter in cooking (baking is an exception!) I opted for brown rice instead. Using chickpeas added some much needed protein and the chives and mixed herbs gave the stuffing an original taste. The lime juice added zest and the feta cheese provided a sharp but tasty bite to the stuffing. All in all the cooking and preparation time took around 35 minutes. I only used 3 capsicums but the recipe below will make enough stuffing for 6 capsicums. You can adjust the recipe for less people or make the stuffing into a salad and eat for the next few days, like I did. 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 to 6 medium sized red or green capsicums
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 medium brown onion (100-130g), finely chopped
• 75g reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• pinch of sea salt & pepper
• Optional- a handful of washed lettuce, roughly torn 

COOKING 

1. Cook brown rice according to packet instructions. Leave in saucepan. 

2. Meanwhile, slice the top part of the capsicum off to make lids (around 3cm in thickness). Remove the seeds and membranes and discard. Heat a large saucepan of water until it boils and add capsicums and lids to cook for 5 minutes. Drain. 

3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat and add garlic and onion. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes or until onion becomes soft. Remove from the heat and add to the brown rice. 

4. Add the chickpeas, chives, mixed herbs, feta cheese, lime juice, salt & pepper and pine nuts to the brown rice and stir to combine. 

5. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and place capsicums upright on it. Fill the capsicum bottoms with the brown rice mixture. Place the lids on top. Bake for around 15-20 minutes or until the filling is cooked and the feta cheese has started to melt. 

6. If you have any brown rice mixture left over, add a handful of washed lettuce to this and serve separately as a salad the next day. 

x E