Samosa-style stuffed peppers

I really liked this dish. It was just a tad too spicy for my husband, though, so next time I'll have to cut the curry powder down a bit. You can make these ahead, stuff them and even freeze them, just skip the final baking step. Then just defrost and pop them in the oven.

Mats

4 large red bell peppers, cut in half vertically, seeds removed

2 Tb vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced

4 tsp curry powder

3 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ginger powder
3/4 cup basmati rice. I actually used orzo pasta, because I had it on hand.
3/4 cup lentils
½ tsp. salt
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 large carrots, chopped

1 cup green beans, cut in bite sized pieces
½ cup raisins 

½ cup unsalted peanuts or cashews, coarsely chopped. I like cashews better, so those are what I used.

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly grease a large baking dish (either rub a stick of butter along the bottom or spray with cooking spray). Place the bell peppers, cut side down, in the baking dish, cover the top with aluminum foil, then bake for 25 minutes.

While the peppers are cooking, take a large pan and heat the 2 Tb oil. Add the onions and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until they start to turn translucent.

Add the curry powder, garam masala and ginger powder to the onion, stir well and cook for 1 minute.

Add the rice, lentils, salt, chickpeas, carrots green beans, raisins and 4 cups water to the pan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. **NB** if you're using orzo instead of rice, add the pasta 5 minutes into the cooking time, as it only takes 10 minutes to cook the pasta.

Uncover the pan after 15 minutes and stir in the nuts. If you've still got a lot of broth left in the pan, let it boil for a bit, uncovered, to evaporate some of the liquids.

When the peppers are finished cooking, take them out of the oven and flip them over in the pan so they're now cut-side up. Save the foil, you'll be putting it back on the dish in a moment.

Spoon the samosa filling into the pepper halves. If you've some filling left over, it makes a delicious salad, even without the peppers.

Put the aluminum foil back over the baking dish with the filled peppers, then return to the oven for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for 5 more minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Hummus Pizza

While decidedly heavy on the carbs, pizza doesn't have to be a dripping, oil-drenched slog of cheese and/or meat. While I make my own dough (admittedly I'm fairly bad at it still), many stores sell pre-made dough that all you need to do is roll out.

Mats
12oz pizza dough
1 1/4 cups hummus. I used plain hummus, but stirred in a clove of crushed garlic
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, either diced or sliced super-thin. I used my mandoline.
1 tsp ground sumac. I found the stuff in Williams-Sonoma. It's quite good.
1/4c cilantro, chopped.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees, or as hot as it will go. Put your bakeware in the oven to heat up along with the oven. This is the secret to a crispy crust that won't get soggy from your toppings.

Cut a square of parchment paper out a little larger than whatever you're cooking your pizza on.

Sprinkle a bit of flour or cornmeal on the parchment (to prevent sticking. You should only need a tablespoon or two). Roll out the pizza dough to the desired shape and thickness on the parchment paper.

Spread the hummus evenly over the crust. Top with the roasted red peppers, onion and ground sumac.

Open the oven, lift the parchment paper with the pizza and place it on your now-heated bakeware. Cook for 3 minutes.

Use a spatula (or two) to loosen the par-baked crust from the parchment, then pull the parchment paper out, setting the pizza back on the hot bakeware. Think of that magic trick where the magician pulls the tablecloth out from under the set table.

Continue cooking the pizza for an additional 6 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the toppings are hot.

Remove the pizza from the oven, sprinkle the chopped cilantro over top. Let rest for 3 minutes, then slice and serve.