Israeli Couscous Stuffed Peppers Food

STUFFED YELLOW PEPPERS WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS AND PESTO

Steps:

• Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous. Stir until the couscous begins to color and smell toasty. Add 2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the couscous is tender. Drain.
• Turn on a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Drop in the garlic. When it is chopped and adhering to the sides of the blender jar or food processor bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Add the basil leaves and salt to taste. Turn on the machine, and add the remaining olive oil. Process until smooth. Add the cheese, and blend until incorporated.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a lidded casserole large enough to accommodate all of the peppers. Combine the couscous and pesto. Stir together. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Fill the halved peppers with this mixture, and arrange in the casserole. Pour the tomato sauce or purée into the dish. Cover and bake 45 minutes to an hour until the peppers are soft but still hold their shape. Remove from the heat, and serve hot or at room temperature, with some of the tomato sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with basil leaves.

PEARLED COUSCOUS STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss peppers with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a few pinches of salt, and black pepper. Roast, cut sides up, for 15-20 minutes, until softened.
• While peppers are roasting, prepare the couscous. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a pot until shimmering. Add couscous, and cook, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes, until pearls begin to toast. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until water is absorbed and couscous is tender. (Alternately, follow the cooking directions as provided for the brand of couscous you buy.)
• While couscous is simmering, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallots, and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add baby spinach and 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt and pepper. Stir until spinach is wilted and tender, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir cooked couscous into spinach mixture, followed by 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano. Gently fold in cannellini beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Drain any accumulated juices from the roasted peppers and fill each half with couscous mixture, mounding slightly, and pressing gently to pack. Sprinkle peppers with remaining Parmigiano Reggiano, and return to the oven to bake until cheese is melted, about 5-7 minutes.
• Whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons chopped chives. Season vinaigrette to taste with a few pinches of salt and pepper.
• Drizzle vinaigrette over peppers and serve.

HEALTHY VEGETABLE AND COUSCOUS STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut off the very tops of the peppers. Remove and discard the ribs and seeds and set the peppers aside.
• Drain the tomatoes in a colander set over a medium bowl. Reserve the juice and set the tomatoes aside over a plate to catch any residual juices. Stir the couscous, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper into the tomato juice and set aside while preparing the filling.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, zucchini, half the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened and just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high, stir in the couscous mixture and simmer rapidly, stirring frequently, until the couscous is just al dente and the liquid is beginning to thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the leaves are bright green and just beginning to wilt, about 30 seconds. Set the filling aside to cool slightly.
• To make the sauce, combine the remaining garlic and olive oil in a Dutch oven, add the chile flakes if using and stir to combine. Place the pot over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally at first then more frequently as the oil starts to sizzle to prevent the garlic from burning, until the garlic starts to stick to the edge of the spoon and is just beginning to turn a very pale straw color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved drained tomatoes plus any accumulated juices, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture just begins to come together and thicken, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Fold the feta and basil into the couscous filling. Fill a pepper with about 3/4 cup of the filling, scooping it in loosely and shaking the pepper to level the filling rather than packing it down. Nestle the filled pepper in the sauce in the pot, then repeat with the remaining peppers, propping them up against each other and the sides of the pot for stability during baking.
• Cover the pot and bake until the peppers are tender but not mushy and the sauce is bubbling, 45 to 60 minutes. Check after 45 minutes to see if the peppers are tender but not soft or they will be overcooked and mushy. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature with a generous scoop of the tomato sauce.

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.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• preheat the oven to 375 with a rack in the upper third. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Slice a sliver off the bottom of each pepper to make a flat surface, being careful not to cut through to the inner cavity. Cut the top off of each pepper (about an inch below the stem) to make a stem-topped lid; set the tops aside. Scoop out and discard the seeds and membranes, making 6 pepper "cups." Stand the pepper cups upright on the prepared sheet pan, lea ving a few inches between each pepper. Stir together the couscous, olive oil, broth, salt, pepper, spinach, rosemary, and goat cheese in a medium-sized bowl until well-combined. Spoon the stuffing into the peppers, distributing the liquid evenly and filling each pepper three-quarters full. Place the tops back on the peppers. Bake the peppers until they look a little puckery and the couscous has absorbed much of the liquid, about 30 mins. Remove the tops and sprinkle the filling with extra goat cheese. Continue baking, uncovered, until the cheese is melty and browned, an additional 5 to 10 mins. Let the stuffed peppers cool slightly before serving warm with hunks of crusty bread.

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.

BEEF & COUSCOUS STUFFED ROASTED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• In 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan, arrange bell peppers, cut-side down.
• Bake in 450 degree oven 10 to 15 minutes or until peppers begin to brown.
• Set aside.
• Meanwhile in large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef and zucchini over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking beef up into 1/2-inch crumbles.
• Pour off drippings.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir water and seasonings packet from couscous mix into beef mixture.
• Bring to a boil.
• Stir in couscous; remove from heat.
• Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
• Stir in olives.
• Spoon beef mixture evenly into each pepper half; sprinkle with cheese.

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.