Greek Style Stuffed Bell Peppers With Quinoa Food

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bulgur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.
• Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the meat mixture is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 25 minutes longer.

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add fennel and onion; cook and stir until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add spinach and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Cool slightly., Cut and reserve tops from peppers; remove and discard seeds. Pour 1 cup crushed tomatoes into bottom of a 6- or 7-qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine lamb, barley, 1 cup feta cheese, olives and seasonings; add fennel mixture. Spoon mixture into peppers; place in slow cooker. Pour remaining crushed tomatoes over peppers; replace pepper tops. Cook, covered, on low 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours, until peppers are tender. Serve with additional feta and, if desired, chopped parsley.

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place green and red bell peppers in a bowl with enough warm water to cover, and soak 5 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place pork and onions in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until pork is evenly brown. Drain grease, and mix in wine and tomato puree. Continue cooking 10 minutes.
• Transfer skillet mixture to a large bowl, and mix in feta cheese, cooked rice, raisins, pine nuts, and parsley. Stuff peppers with the mixture, and arrange in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove foil, and continue baking 10 minutes, until stuffing is lightly browned. May be served hot or cold.

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED BELL PEPPERS WITH QUINOA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Set a pot of water to boil. Remove tops from peppers and cut in half length-wise. Seed and devein peppers. Reserve pepper tops. Once water has boiled, add peppers and cook for 7-8 minutes. Drain water and run cold water over peppers.
• Finely dice pepper tops.
• In a medium skillet, heat olive oil. Saute onion and garlic over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned.
• Cook quinoa according to package directions.
• Into ground beef, stir lemon juice and zest, tomato sauce, cooked quinoa and spices.
• Cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Stuff peppers with ground beef mixture. Top with cheese. Place peppers in a greased baking pan and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake and additional 15 minutes.

GREEK STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Prepare 12 peppers by carefully cutting out the tops and removing the seeds. You will use the tops to cover the peppers before they are baked.
• In a large bowl prepare the stuffing. Finely chop the onions and 1 bell pepper in a food processor. Add the rice, water, herbs, tomato paste, 1/2 cup of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. If using pine nuts add them now. The mixture should be "liquidy", like a gazpacho soup.
• Stuff the peppers about 3/4 full. If any stuffing is left over just go back and evenly distribute! Cover the peppers with their tops.
• Add the other 1/2 cup of olive oil to the top of the peppers.
• Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Lower to 350 and cook for 1 more hour.

GREEK-INSPIRED STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place 1/2 cup rice in a container and cover with water. Allow to soak for the 15 or 20 minutes, and drain well.
• Combine onion, garlic, rosemary, parsley, oregano, dill, coriander, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; stir to combine. Add ground lamb and drained rice. Using your hands, mix well until ingredients are evenly distributed.
• Slice bell peppers in half, top to bottom, and remove membranes and seeds. Evenly divide lamb mixture amongst each of the bell pepper halves. Set stuffed peppers in a shallow baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is cooked through, about 40 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the filling should read 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). Allow to cool slightly, and garnish with tzatziki (see note). Sprinkle feta cheese crumbles and chopped tomatoes evenly over the stuffed peppers before serving.