Stuffed Red Peppers

This was a knock out.  Very easily made into a vegetarian meal and sometimes I would say it would even be preferred but tonight we ate it with some spicy chorizo sausage meat and it was amazing.  My apologizes, it is not the most gorgeous of photographs, but let me tell you - you will inhale it! I had some left over cous cous from the night before and needed to clear out my vegetable drawer of some rather suspicious looking zucchini's.... I whipped this up and had it in the oven within minutes.  A beautiful aroma filled my house as it cooked and with a simple salad, it was a great healthy mid week meal.

Ingredients:
1 cup israeli cous cous, cooked
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
100g chorizo sausage meat
1/2 small red onion, diced
butter
1 tspn garlic
smoked paprika
oregano, dried
2/3 cup portabello mushrooms, finely diced
1/2 medium zucchini, finely diced
chili powder or red pepper flakes
1/2-1 cup tomato sauce / pureed tomatoes
tabasco sauce, optional

vegetarian option:
diced zucchini
roasted butternut squash
roasted eggplant

Method:

• Carefully cut around and remove the stalk from the red pepper and then slice it in half.  Trim and clean up the seeds from the inside so that you have two tidy half shells.
• Pre heat your oven to 350'F
• In a saucepan, cook your cous cous in chicken stock and a pinch of salt, until tender.  When ready, add a knob of butter and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and mix through.
• Heat a small skillet, add a drop of olive oil and cook your diced red onion under tender.
• Add garlic and zucchinis and cook for about 3mins. Add the mushrooms and a knob of butter.  Season with salt and pepper, oregano and mix well.
• When the mushrooms and zucchinis have browned nicely, remove from the heat and pour all the onion, mushroom and zucchini into a mixing bowl.
• Cook your chorizo meat in the same skillet until browned.  Drain any excess fat.
• Mix your chorizo with your vegetables and taste.  Add tabasco, chili powder or smoked paprika to your liking.  
• Add 1/3 cup of tomato puree and mix well.
• Spoon mixture into your half red pepper shells and bake for approx 25mins.
• Baste with a little extra tomato sauce after 15mins of cooking to ensure it stays moist.

As everything is already cooked you are just waiting for the peppers to soften slightly and for the flavors to incorporate.  Serve with a fresh mixed leaf salad, corn on the cob or boiled potatoes.