MIDDLE EASTERN CARB-FREE STUFFED PEPPERS

Trying not to eat carbs is really difficult for me cause boy do I love carbs. I feel like a meal is not complete without some rice, pasta, or bread. But, I decided that I needed to start eating light and healthy before the holidays. So, I decided to try and make some of my favorite dishes in a healthier way. Stuffed Peppers is a dish that I love but the Armenian or Middle Eastern way to make it consists of lots of rice. These stuffed peppers that I made today are filled with a mixture of ground beef and vegetables only. It's a little different in flavor than the traditional stuffed peppers. I had to add a lot of spices and herbs to give it some flavor so that I don't have a bland dish. This way I'll enjoy eating healthy. I'm not a fan of bland foods, if you couldn't tell from all my recipes. This dish came out amazing, the entire family loved it! These stuffed bell peppers make a delicious everyday meal served with yogurt or as is!

Ingredients:

• 8 Bell Peppers, sliced in half

Filling

• 2 pounds Ground Beef

• 4 Tomatoes, pureed

• 1 onion, pureed

• 1/2 bunch Mint, finely minced

• 1 bunch Parsley, finely minced

• 1/2 bunch Cilantro, finely minced

• 1 bunch Dill, finely minced

• 2 Jalapeños, finely minced

• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

• 1 tablespoon Salt

• 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper

• 1 tablespoon Turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon Baharat or All Spice

• 1/2 teaspoon Caraway Seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder

• 1 tablespoon Beef Bouillon

Sauce

• 2 cups Water

• 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste

• 1/4 cup Lemon Juice

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon Sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, place ground beef.

2. In a food processor, process tomatoes, onion, mint, parsley, cilantro, dill, and jalapeños. Pour on top of beef.

3. Add black pepper, salt, Aleppo pepper, turmeric, baharat, caraway seeds, and beef bouillon. Mix well till fully incorporated.

4. Fill bell peppers with the mixture and place in a pyrex or baking dish.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

6. In a separate bowl, add all sauce ingredients and mix well. Make sure tomato paste is fully melted in the bowl.

7. Pour sauce over the stuffed bell peppers.

8. Cover and place in oven for hour and a half to two hours.

9. Once cooked, uncover and return to oven and broil for 5 - 10 minutes or until top is a little browned. Remove and serve warm.

If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it #EATDRINKPLAYLA. I'd love to see how yours turned out!