2 bell peppers (any color, though I suspect actually red would be tastier and prettier!) - 80 cals
2 turkey sausages (I like the spiced sweet ones)- 300 cal
** You can also use any kind of ground meat!**
1.5 or 2 servings of the Veggie Cous Cous (from last post!) - a little less than 300-400 cals
4 slices of lite deli cheese (I used the lite Jarlsberg) - 200 cals
Pam
Halve the pepps like so and take out the seeds inside.
Bake these at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (or until tender)
While the pepps are baking, spray a pan down with Pam, take the sausage meat out of the casing (or just toss in your ground meat) and break it up as it browns. 4 mins?
Now, if you didn't pre-make a giant batch of this like I did (though you should, it was so versatile!), you can go ahead and make it at the same time and then you can just toss the meat in with the cous cous instead. Either way, make sure to really mix the two parts so you get even meat/carb distribution.
If making my Veggie cous cous fresh, use 2 servings cous cous, 1/2 large cucumber, a few handfuls of chopped fresh basil and some little tomatoes halved or cubed. Cook the cous cous as directed but in 1/2 cup unsalted chicken or vegetable stock. Season as you like with S+P, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, etc. I never add oil/butter to mine and it doesn't come out light OR fluffy and is kind of rissoto-y but still tastes great.
*Other ideas to try: ground-anything, using rice or any other grain (bulgur?) instead of the cous cous. Any veggies would do.
Want all vegetarian? No problem. Beef up the grains with tofu or tempeh or portabella mushrooms. Whatever your fave filler-upper is works best here**
Once the protein/grain mixture is warm and the bell peppers are just getting soft stuff them (I mean REALLY jam that mix into the peppers) with the carb/protein mixture until it just peaks over the rim of the peppers. The firmer you pat down the stuffing, the easier it will be to eat (i.e. it wont fall apart!).
Finally, take them out, top each pepper with a slice of deli cheese and stick them into the broiler for that little crisp char (or just wait till the cheese melts in the oven!)
I just wish I had a better shot of what these look like inside. 3/4 of these are beautiful enough to serve to company.
The one on the upper right got a little too burnt in our weirdo oven, but it tasted great. =)
Finally, the damage? 880-980 calories for the whole thing, making each one of these under 250 cals. They were so filling and so delicious and made a very conveniently portable lunch the next day!
As for the pics, well, I guess it just means I'll have to make them again!
The Apple Pie Bowl
1 serving Fiber One Honey Clusters (3/4 cup)
4-8oz (I used 6oz) Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Yogurt
2 heaping tbsp sugar-free apple sauce
2 tsp Walden Farms Caramel Sauce
Tastes JUST like an apple pie but for about 200 calories for a huge bowl (as opposed to over 400 calories for a slice) and amazing nutritional value: dairy (calcium), fiber (cereal), fruit (apples). Chemicals? I imagine the apple sauce and caramel sauce can't be all natural but what the heck, this is YUMMY!