Couscous Stuffed Peppers

This is one of those recipes that came about by trying to make a meal out of what was already in the house.   I

4 large bell peppers, any color (you can also use long Italian green or other large banana peppers)
1 box of organic couscous, rice, farro, quinoa, or any other small grain.  Any flavor is fine.
Fresh shelling peas-as amny as you like (you can use frozen if fresh are not available)
1 large carrot diced
1/2 of a large red onion
5 garlic scapes diced
1/2 of a small green zucchini diced
1/2 of a small yellow summer squash diced
1 fresh ear of corn on the cob (you can use frozen if fresh are not available)
1/8 cup red or yellow lentils

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions.

Cook the lentils in 1/2 cup of water until tender but not mushy.  Drain any remaining water.

Shell the peas, stip the corn off the cob, and dice the rest of the veggies.  ***Do not precook the corn!

Sautee' the veggies in good quality olive oil on medium high heat for 5-10 minutes.  Stir constantly to prevent burning.

When the couscous is done, add it to the veggies and mix well.  Turn off heat.

Cut off the tops of the peppers and scoop out the seeds.  You can keep the tops for little covers while they bake if you like.

Evenly distribute the couscous/veggie mixture between the peppers.  Put the tops back on and bake at 350 in a open pan for 20-30 minutes. 

 

 

###Please note that couscous is made from semolina, which is made from wheat. If you are intolerant to gluten, you can use a hardy red or brown rice.

Garlic Scape Pesto

This time of year, the long green tops of garlic start to appear in gardens.  Gardeners and chefs alike know that this is one of those limited edition spring treats that they have to jump on.  And you can't beat the price!  I paid a buck for a bag of 40!  Cutting back the long green scape from the garlic plants helps grow stronger bulbs.  It also makes a delish pesto!  Normally pestos have cheese.  But hey!  Who says you can't change the rules?

40 garlic scapes
2 cups of slivered raw almonds OR chopped raw walnuts (nuts should be plain...no seasonings!)
3 cups of good quality extra-virgin olive oil

Prepare the scapes by washing them in cold water.  Cut off the seed pod at the top.
Cut them into smaller pieces and put them in the food processor*.
Turn on food processor and slowly add nuts to the scapes.
When the almonds and scapes are well gound, start adding the olive oil in a steady stream.
Process thoroughly.

I used a small ice cream style scooper to scoop out balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet.  When they were solid, I put them in freezer bags.
This makes a great spread with Mary's Gone Crackers Products or as a dip with fresh veggies.  And of course you can always use it with pasta or risotto!

If you feel the overwhelming need to add cheese, no worries!  My Italian roots made it hard to leave it out.  (I made some for friends and I did put in the cheese for them.)  After you add the olive oil, slowly add 1 cup of grated parmesean reggiano or romano pecorino or a combination of both!  If you do choose to use cheese, I recommend a good quality Italian imported cheese made from pastured sheep or goat.

You can find this recipe along with many others on Allergy Free Alaska

*I did try to make this in my Vitamix and it didn't work so well.  It was too thick of a mixture to do it in there and the Vitamix overheated so I highly recommend a food processor for this!