Cous Cous and Feta Stuffed Peppers

Other food blogs are a reliable source for great recipes. Especially when they have a significant amount of followers who leave nit picky comments about each post. Food blog frequenters are harsh critics. If a recipe is not good, they're not afraid to voice their opinion- in bold black and white, SOMETIMES SCREAMING. You can't get away with mediocre. It makes me grateful that my little baby blog hasn't found it's way out into the big scary world.

Luckily, these mystery critics are just as quick to compliment as they are willing to criticize. If a recipe is good, you'll know it. And so I search for those recipes- the ones that hundreds of random readers swear will change your life (it's a dramatic bunch). Food is their/our passion and they/we can get very excited about it.

So, many of the recipes I share with you come well regarded. I'm not the only one who thinks they're swell. There are several recipes on this site I developed myself, or I stole from family. In that case, you'll have to trust the taste of my friends and family. Every time I make a new recipe I am trusting somebodies opinion. Yes, it's a risk I take, and sometimes I'm disappointed. My disappointments don't make it onto this blog. But they happen.

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite food blogs. Peppers make perfect vessels for all sorts of fillings. This was an interesting take on stuffed peppers, and didn't disappoint! The filling made more than I could cram into 4-5 bell peppers, but I won't complain because it was delicious all on it's own!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup whole wheat cous cous
low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (Follow package directions for exact amount of broth)
4 extra-large or 5 large bell peppers, mixed colors
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
6 oz. zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
6 oz. yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I used Romas, diced)
15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp. tomato paste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan, add the couscous, cover the pan and remove it from the heat.

3. Cut the stems and top half inch off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place peppers upright in a baking dish and roast them for 15 minutes or so, until they soften, then remove them from the oven until the filling is ready.

4. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion, zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and tomato paste. Using a fork, scrape the couscous into the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Stir in the crumbled feta. Fill peppers with the couscous mixture. Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Epicurious)