{"id":1355,"date":"2015-09-13T16:28:42","date_gmt":"2015-09-13T22:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vegetatingwithleslie.org\/?p=1355"},"modified":"2017-10-24T11:34:37","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T17:34:37","slug":"peppers-stuffed-with-pesto-couscous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vegetatingwithleslie.org\/?p=1355","title":{"rendered":"Peppers Stuffed with Pesto Couscous"},"content":{"rendered":"

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These delicious peppers are a great favorite with all my friends. They are NOT vegan. I needed to make something for a friend who is neither vegetarian nor vegan nor wants to be so decided to make these, which I knew they liked.<\/p>\n

The recipe came originally from the New York Times<\/em> and is readily available on the internet. Just search on Stuffed Yellow Peppers with Israeli Couscous and Pesto<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

I’ve modified and simplified so I can put it together very quickly and easily. First of all, I use a commercially prepared pesto<\/strong>. As most of you know if you follow foods I make, I almost never use commercial products. Every once in awhile I find one I like and that meets my standards, though, and this pesto is one. I can get it at Costco, and it’s all organic ingredients, all real food, no distressing additives and tastes very good.<\/p>\n

I roast the peppers<\/strong> first. The yellow are really pretty, but red or orange or a mixture would be fine. Green would be fine, for that matter, but they taste a little different to me. I cut off the lid of each of the peppers and trimmed away seeds and extra pulp on the inside of each pepper. I rubbed oil lightly on\u00a0the outside of the peppers\u00a0and roasted them in a pre-heated, hot oven (550 degrees) for 10-15 minutes until they had a few brown spots and appeared slightly wrinkled and done.<\/p>\n

While the peppers are roasting, I prepare the filling, which is just a matter of cooking some whole wheat Israeli couscous<\/strong> and adding some salt and lots of pesto to it. I added a little extra Parmesan cheese as well.<\/p>\n

For the sauce<\/strong>, I still prefer homemade to commercially prepared, and it’s so easy to make tomato sauce. I don’t peel the tomatoes — just wash them.\u00a0I put them in a pot with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and chopped fresh basil, put the lid on the pot, bring to a simmer, turn down the heat, and cook until well-stewed. If you like a little heat, you can add in some crushed red pepper, and if you love that basil flavor, add in a little more chopped basil at the end of the cooking time.<\/p>\n

That’s it! Here are some quantities for 4 peppers:<\/p>\n