Vegetarian Stuffed Green Peppers: A Fusion Dish, with Variations

I was feeling creative the other day and put together the following dish. The family gave it a thumbs up, so I thought I would share it with you. It's pretty quick & easy, which is the kind of recipe I like.

Stem & core 6 large green peppers. Rub salt & oil on them, outside and inside. Microwave on high about 8 minutes, more if you want them softer. While this is happening, you can make the filling.

Heat oven to 400 F.

Filling: In large bowl, mash together: 1 can black beans (with theliquid) and 6 slices of whole wheat bread. (In my house. no one likes to eat the end slices, so I used them for this). Add 1/2 cup salsa (or more or less, depending on how spicy you want it). Optional: Add 1/2 t of cumin powder. Add salt to taste.

Stuff peppers with filling; top with grated cheese. (I use a Mexican blend cheese).  Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted & golden.

It's a pretty complete balanced meal in itself, but if you want you can serve it with your favorite rice or pasta casserole, a green salad and fruit-topped flavored yogurt.

Variation: The boys devoured these & wanted more, and I was out of green peppers, so I made stuffed zucchini with the same filling. I sliced 4 zucchinis lengthwise, rubbed oil & salt all over them, and microwaved them for about 15 minutes. I scraped out the insides of the zucchinis, mashed and added them into the filling recipe above, added a bit of salt & black pepper, stuffed the hollowed-out zucchini halves, topped them with cheese as above, and baked at 400F for 35 minutes.

If you try these, do let me know how yours turned out.

Chicken Yogurt Recipe

Here is a recipe, to remember my mother (who recently passed away). Though I am vegetarian now, I remember how delicious it was when I ate it as a child. This is a relatively mild version of what we ate. Adventurous readers can  increase the amount of spices.

Cut into pieces 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh or breast.
Marinade for 2-4 hours in 1 cup yogurt (with these spices mixed into the yogurt: 1/2 teaspoon each--turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper, salt to taste)

Chop fine: 1 large onion, 8 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger

Fry in a saucepan in 6-8 tablespoons of oil: onion, ginger & garlic until light brown. Add the chicken pieces (not the marinade). Brown over medium heat.

Now add the marinade & 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Cook, covered, on low heat until chicken is fully cooked. (Maybe 15-20 minutes). Stir once in a while. If you want it creamier, you can add 2 T sour cream when chicken is half-done. Add more red chili powder if you want it hotter.

You can garnish this with toasted cashews.Serve with hot rice. (Basmati is a good option).Serves 4-6 people.

For a full meal, you can serve it with sliced cucumber, tomato and radish salad, the cauliflower curry recipe posted earlier, and mango ice cream, also posted earlier.

Enjoy!