Lunch: Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers Recipe | Myrecipes

Stuffed peppers get an update in this Mediterranean-inspired recipe for stuffed peppers. Couscous replaces rice and fragrant flavors, such as cumin, cinnamon, and fresh ginger, abound in Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers Recipe | Myrecipes

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

Salt
1/3 cup couscous
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
8 dried apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
4 green bell peppers (about 6 1/2 oz. each), tops sliced off, seeded and cored

Instructions

Bring 1/2 cup lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in couscous. Cover, remove from heat and let stand until water has absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous lightly with a fork and re-cover. In a small bowl, combine cumin, cinnamon, sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add onion and ginger and cook, stirring, until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes longer. Sprinkle cumin mixture over beef and sauté for 1 minute.
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, chickpeas and apricots. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Remove from heat and stir in couscous.
Preheat oven to 375 °F and mist an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. If peppers don't stand upright, cut a tiny slice off bottoms of peppers to level. Stuff peppers with meat mixture; place them in baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup water into baking dish, cover with foil and bake until peppers are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.

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