Bean & Couscous Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive or canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 3 tsp. oregano flakes
• 2 cups vegetable broth, divided
• ½ cup couscous
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 small zucchini grated
• 1/4 tsp. each salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar
• 4 peppers, your choice of colour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, jalapenos, chili powder and oregano for 3 minutes or until softened.
3. Pour in 1 cup of the broth and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous and parsley; remove from heat. Stir in carrot, zucchini, salt and pepper; cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Stir beans and cheese into couscous mixture.
5. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds and ribs. Fill each half with the couscous mixture and place in a large ovenproof casserole dish. Pour remaining broth in dish, cover with foil and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes or until peppers are tender. A few minutes under the broiler at the very end will give a nice look and a little more variety in the texture.