VegeLeeks

So, this was a bit of a 'choose your own adventure' dinner - and i can hardly believe how well it worked out!! Stuffed Capsicums, or stuffed "peppers" as some American people would say. So...

Here's what you need:

1 cup couscous
2 cups vege stock
2 red capsicums
5 mushrooms (diced OR grated)
1 medium carrot (grated)
200g haloumi (cubed)
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp curry powder
approx 85g cheddar cheese (grated)
1 chilli (or 3 if they're really small....like ours.... hehehe)
2 tsp crushed garlic
olive oil

So, this recipe is fairly simple. After you have turned your oven on to 180 C, you can boil your vege stock; please keep approx 4 tablespoons of stock as leftover for later. Now, boiling your stock: this can either be done in a pot on the stove, or in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave. Once the stock is boiling, add the couscous and cover it with a lid (removed from the heat source). You may need to add extra water, depending on how fluffy you want the couscous. Now, you want to cut the capsicums in half - you can do it length ways or side ways, it depends if the capsicums can stand up or not. We found it easier to cut them like little boats. Take out the seeds/insides, and lay them out on an oven tray.

Next, you will combine the oil and the garlic in a small bowl and lightly brush the insides of the capsicums. From here you can slide them into the oven and let them cook slightly whilst you are preparing the stuffing. You don't want to completely cook the capsicums, just make them slightly tender.

You next step is to chop up all your other ingredients and combine them into a bowl with your couscous. EASY! (Just as a side note, we made approx double the recipe so that we would have leftovers.) You will want to put HALF the grated cheese in the bowl, and still have some left over to sprinkle on the top before they go in the oven. You may need more or less grated cheddar, depending how much you like cheese... hehe.

Alright, now your stuffing is made - so you just grab your capsicums out of the oven and start gently spooning the stuffing into the capsicum shells. You can use the back side of the spoon to push it down as you go, and don't be afraid to mound the stuffing up - they do flatten out slightly in the oven as the haloumi and the cheese melts.

Ok, once you've stuffed your peppers, you can sprinkle on the remaining cheddar cheese. I suppose if you wanted you could also add a sprinkle of pepper at this point, but i really don't think it's needed. Now, i grabbed the little bit of leftover stock and splashed it around in the tray - just so that the capsicums can soak it up as they are cooking...

Now all there is left to do is pop them in the oven! They will probably need about half an hour on 180 C for the cheese to start browning. Don't worry if the edges of the capsicums burn a little - it tastes lovely!

So, that's it! If you want to you can serve these with garlic bread and a glass of rose, and trust me, they are taaaaasty! Of course, you could really add or take out whatever you like from the stuffing - if there's something extra you want to add, or if there's something in there you don't like - that's why it's a choose your own adventure! They're actually really filling, thanks to the couscous, and if you keep them in an air-tight container they will keep in the fridge and can be reheated up to 4 days later. DELICIOUS!

Apologies for such a long time between updates! We have both been so busy with work and social life... but we promise we didn't forget about you!

Today our recipe is a run on from our poached quince recipe! If you make the poached quinces, you should DEFINITELY make these quince muffins! These went so fast and were super delicious. They're easy to make too!

So here's what you'll need:

1 Cup of pureed poached quinces (previously made here)
12 individual slices of poached quince (for "garnishing")
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
3 tbsp milk
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Okay, so the first thing you want to do is preheat your oven (180 C) and grease your muffin tray and all that lovely stuff. I would spray oil (if i had some) - whoever invented that must be rich - just make sure you do the spraying outside otherwise you might end up with a greasy counter top or a slippery floor!! But if you're like me and you want to do it the old fashioned way, get one of those little paintbrush thingers and oil it up that way.

Now, in one bowl you want to whisk together the pureed quince, sugar, oil, eggs and mil. In another bowl you should combine together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. My baking soda was a bit lumpy, so i put it through a sifter. Right on.

Now the next part is a little bit delicate - you mix the wet ingredients into the dry, but you don't want to mix it TOO much, otherwise you will end up with rock cakes! (if the mixture looks a bit lumpy, don't worry about it, it's fiiiiine.)

So, your next step is just to divide the mixture into your muffin tray, and then very gently lay a slice of quince on the top of each muffin. Now all you have left to do is pop them in the oven for about 20 mins - just until they start to look brown on the top... you can do the 'tooth-pick-trick' if you're worried about them not being properly cooked.