Fabulous Stuffed Vegetables

I am not the least bit inventive in the kitchen - I need a recipe to follow, which explains why I have so many recipe books. Most of the time what I cook wouldn't win any prizes but is very nice, however, occasionally I cook a recipe (such as the Flourless Chocolate Cake) that really knocks Simon and I out. These Stuffed Vegetables are one of those items. A few months ago I bought a cheap recipe book called 500 Main Courses, edited by Jenni Fleetwood. Wow! I usually struggle for inspiration with vegetables and end up just stir-frying them but this book has tons of vegetable dishes that could work as vegetarian main courses but that I use as accompaniments for our meat / fish. I defy anyone to make these peppers and not love them since they retain their moisture (Simon can't stand dry food), are full of colour and full of flavour. Plus they're very easy to make and I am sure will be weight watcher's friendly!

Ingredients:

2 large ripe tomatoes

2 large bell peppers (yellow / orange - more vitamins and more anti-inflammatory than green and red ones)

60ml (4 tbsp) olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed (obviously I miss this out since I can't eat garlic)

50g (1/2 cup) blanced almonds, chopped (I used cashews since I found I have an intolerance to almonds)

75g (just under 1/2 cup) cooked long grain rice (I actually use brown rice)

15g mint and 15g parsley, roughly chopped (you'll be surprised how much mint this actually is, but once it's chopped then it suddenly looks like a very small amount)

2 tbsp sultanas (or raisins)

25g (2 tbsp)

Salt and pepper

2/3 cup boiling water

Chopped parsley to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees centigrade (375 fahrenheit, gas mark 5).

2. Cook the rice ready to use later.

3. Cut tomatoes in half, scoop out pulp and seeds with a teaspoon (keep them!) and leave tomatoes to drain on kitchen paper with cut sides down.

4. Roughly chop the tomato seeds and pulp.

5. Half the peppers through the stalk (keep the stalk attached for presentation) and scoop out the seeds to hollow them out completely.

6. Brush the peppers with 1 tbsp of the oil and bake (cut side up) in an ovenproof dish for 15 minutes.

7. While the peppers are chargrilling, fry the onions in the remaining oil for 5 minutes then add the garlic and nuts and fry for another minute.

8. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rice, chopped tomatoes, mint, parsley and sultanas - season well.

9. Take the peppers out of the oven and add the tomatoes (cut side up) in the dish.
10. Season the peppers and tomatoes with salt and pepper.

11. Spoon the rice mixture into the peppers.

12. Pour 2/3 cup of boiling water around the tomatoes and peppers and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

13. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.