Tabouli Stuffed Peppers

Happy Hump Day, y’all!! I can’t believe it’s Wednesday already…I was sure this week was going to draaaag by. But, here it is already half-way done and Friday will be here before we know it! Speaking of Friday, that is the day of the week that I usually want something quick and simple to make for supper. It’s usually been a long week and I just want to fix a quick supper and then hang out with J. This little stuffed pepper…was quick and delicious. I mean, I wanted to gobble up the filling before it could ever make it’s way into the peppers, good. It has balsamic vinegar in it for cryin’ out loud. You know I have no self-control when it comes to the balsamic.

There was only one leetle problem…lack of protein. You see, J works out. A lot. And his metabolism is unlike any I’ve ever seen before, therefore he needs a lot of fuel, and often. I, of course, wasn’t thinking of this when I planned supper, and it wasn’t until I mentioned it being a vegetarian dish that he was like, “Oh…well, that explains why I’ve eaten three of these and I’m still hungry.” Oops. We were also working in the garage, moving weight benches and workout equipment around, while sipping on some adult beverages so I got a bright idea…”Let’s order pizza!!”

Keep in mind that we very rarely eat out (or order out), much less pizza, so this was an unusual request even for me. I blame it on the pizza commercials that had been playing all week and the adult beverages. And then we find out that since we live out in the boonies, none of the pizza places deliver. What the??? Driving to get pizza was not the plan, but by now the idea was already in my head so it had to happen. And let me just say that in the moment that I took those first bites, I would have sworn it was the best pizza I’d ever eaten in my life. J did not agree. He likes my homemade, healthier pizza better. Such a sweetie.

We did agree, however, that we would only do this once year…so in 2015 maybe we’ll splurge again 😉

All that story just to tell you that there isn’t much protein to this dish, so you may want to serve it as a side or a light lunch instead of the main course of dinner. But definitely try it out, it’s yummy, yummy! And healthy,  healthy! Oh, and CLEAN! I’ve been looking more and more into clean eating. I’m still a little nervous so I haven’t made the jump just yet, but I’m trying recipes here and there that are defined as “clean” and we’ll see where it goes!! If you have any clean eating experiences or tips, I’d love to hear them!

Tabouli-Stuffed Peppers

Slightly adapted from Clean Eating Magazine May/June 2009

Ingredients

• 1 cup bulgur
• 2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 bell peppers (I like the red, yellow, and orange peppers)
• 1 cup minced parsley

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Cook bulgur according to package instructions, using the water or vegetable broth.
3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced bell peppers, celery, dried basil and salt. Saute for 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, add the bulgur and mix well.
4. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Stir until well combined. Pour the dressing into the skillet with the tabouli mixture and stir to combine.
5. Cut each of the three bell peppers in half length-wise and remove seeds and ribs. Place each half, cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet and fill with the tabouli.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until peppers have softened. Remove from oven and top with minced parsley before serving.