Weight Watcher Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers

Lots o' veggies.  The key is lots o' veggies.  Honestly, I know my husband prefers the beefy ones but I liked these better.  They had a lot of flavor.  The black rice isnt necessary but it added nuttiness to the pepper.


Stuffed Peppers
Recipe adapted from Food Network Robert Irvine- you can find it here.


6 large bell peppers, tops removed and seeded
4 tablespoons canola oil
1 white onion, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons freshly chopped garlic
2 zucchinis, diced
2 cups cooked Thai black rice
2 large tomatoes
1 cup diced red and green peppers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Savoy cabbage, chopped (this gives it a lot of flavor)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Wrap the peppers in aluminum foil, and bake in the oven until tender, but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.Or you can drop them into some boiling salted water and take them out when they are just a little wilted.  I prefer the oven method because it is one less pan to clean and I am all about one less pan to clean.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add in the zucchini, tomatoes, red and green peppers and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender. Combine this with the cooked rice in a bowl. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tomato paste. Remove from the heat and fold in the cabbage. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the cooled peppers. Transfer the peppers to a heat-proof serving dish and top with a little Parmesan if desired.  I didn't have any at that moment so I did them without the cheese. Bake until the peppers are heated through, about 20 minutes.

Calories- about 230 per pepper.  And there is a lot of eating in that huge pepper.  Serve with a nice salad and some lighter style dressing and you have a meal for under 300 calories.  Wahoo!