New Recipe of the Week: Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Ignoring the fact that I haven't posted a recipe in a while, I thought I would make my come-back with this amazingly easy, extremely tasty, and perfect for summer dish!

I asked a vegetarian friend of mine for some of her favorite recipes and this one immediately caught my eye. I love all the veggies which make it so colorful and using an assortment of peppers (I used red, yellow, and orange) made the plate look so pretty! An added bonus is that the left overs are great for lunch the next day. If you don't want it to be veggie, you could also add a little cooked sausage that I think would be extra yummy!

Serve it with a salad and you have a delicious and easy vegetarian dinner! This is definitely going in my recipe rotation :)

Couscous and Feta Stuffed Peppers

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1 1/4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth

2/3 cup couscous

4 extra-large or 5-6 large bell peppers, mixed colors

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 oz zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly

6 oz yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 1 cup)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan, add the couscous, cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Cut the stems and top half inch off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place peppers upright in a baking dish and roast them for 15 minutes or so, until they soften, then remove them from the oven until the filling is ready. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion, zucchini, yellow squash, fennel seeds, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and tomato paste. Using a fork, scrape the couscous into the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Stir in the crumbled feta. Fill peppers with the couscous mixture. Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.