Greek food is my all-time favorite cuisine. It’s fresh, light and flavorful. I’m always trying to come up with a twist to traditional recipes. I love when it works out, like in this instance! Spiced rice and chickpeas make this recipe go ‘round! This is simple recipe but takes a while to make but only because of the bake time. The prep is easy. The best part is while the peppers are in the oven you can sit back read a book, watch an episode (or some of it) or have a phone conversation. Let the oven do most of the work! This recipe pairs so well with my Cool Cucumber-Mint Salad or Cucumber Lime-Dill Salad.

***Bonus recipe at the bottom that can be placed on top of these pepper when they’re done!***

Stuffed Pepper Ingredients

• 3 medium peppers (any color)
• 2 cups rice, cooked
• ½ tbsp olive oil (or 2 tbsp veggie broth)
• 1 tbsp dry oregano
• 2 tbsp freshdill
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 4 oz artichoke, chopped (small jar or ½ can)
• ½ tsp sea salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice the peppers in half, removing the stem and seeds.
3. In a medium pan, over medium heat, add the oil onions and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, until golden, then add dill and oregano. Next add the artichoke. Let this cook, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes.
4. Now, remove from heat. Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture.
5. Cover and place in the oven for 25.
6. After 25 minutes, uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the peppers are as tender as you like them. At this point, begin making the Cumin Spiced Chickpeas…

Cumin Spiced Chickpeas Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas/garbonzos
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp dill
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 pinch salt

 Cumin Spiced Chickpeas Instructions

1. In a small pan on low-medium heat, add the oil and beans.
2. Toss for a moment then add all of the spices to the beans.
3. Saute often until golden brown. Once they are nice and toasty, set aside until the peppers are full cooked- which should be very soon!

******BONUS RECIPE: Tzatziki Sauce******

Tzatziki sauce is a cool, creamy Greek sauce. Traditionally, it is made with yogurt. Personally, I do not like yogurt (vegetarian or vegan versions) so I used sour cream. If you like yogurt use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Give it a try! No blender required!

Tzatziki Ingredients

• 8 oz Sour cream (or plain yogurt)
• ½ medium cucumber, diced small (the way you’d dice an onion)
• 1 pinch salt & pepper, or to taste
• 1 tbsp dill, dried or fresh
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, optional

Tzatziki Instructions

In a bowl, combine sour cream (or yogurt), cucumber, lemon juice (if using), salt, pepper, dill and garlic. Cover and refrigerate until ready to plop a dollop of Tzatziki on your pepper!