Ingredients:
2 tbsp veg stock
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
6 ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped
4 tbsp cooked brown rice
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 ground cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon
black pepper
1) preheat oven to 350
**If stuffing eggplants or zucchini, trim the stems, then halve lengthwise. use a teaspoon to hollow out each half, leaving a shell about 1/2 in thick. Chop the scooped-out flesh (to use in mixture if desired). Steam the shells over boiling water for about 4 minutes, then hold under cold water to stop further cooking and dry with paper towels. Mist the insides with oil-and-water spray.
**If stuffing bell peppers, slice off the tops (put to one side), then scoop out and discard the seeds.
**If stuffing tomatoes, slice off the tops (put to one side), then scoop out the seeds and flesh and add the flesh to rice mixture in step two.
2) Heat the stock in a skillet, then add the onions and garlic and saute, stirring, until translucent. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, chopped eggplants or zucchini flesh (if using), cooked rice, pine nuts, herbs, and cinnamon and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
3) Stir in the lemon juice and season with black pepper.
4) Lightly mist a baking dish with oil-and-water spray. Stuff the vegetables with the rice mixture and put the lids back on the peppers or tomatoes. Bake for about 20 minutes.
*As usual, we didn't really follow the recipe...we used way less tomatoes, a little less garlic, a lot more brown rice, no pine nuts and no cinnamon. We used what we already had in the house or left out what we didn't like. It was still delicious tho! We also decided we were going to use even more rice next time we make them : ) So play with the recipe to make it your own!*
This one is red, not pink. It would match our kitchen the best I think, but it almost looks dirty, right? This one would hide the center line where the two pieces of paper come together the best, but I just don't know how much I like it...(again, the picture wouldn't load correctly)
