Couscous Stufffed Peppers with Basil Sauce

Hello everyone!
I hope you have had a awesome and relaxing weekend. I worked a little but mainly I was able to relax a bit and hang out with my hubby and friends. We went to the Suns game yesterday and I am happy to report they won! Finally! They definitely needed a win and plus it was nice to go to a game and have the home team triumph:)

I have been lax in posting my cooking lately. I know... I said I would get more consistent on posting and I have already failed but I will say I have been working a lot lately and when I get home I am tired. I will try and do better but I will not make any promises. I do have a couple of good recipes to share this week so I hope you read them. My post today will be Couscous Stuffed Peppers. I saw Giada make them this past week and they looked so delicious I decided I wanted to make them for dinner as well. I am so glad I did. They were definitely a keeper. You should make these whenver you get a chance. I promise, you will not regret it.

Couscous Stuffed Peppers with Basil Sauce
Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
1 c chicken broth
2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 c couscous
1 c canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c dried currants
1 c packed spinach leaves
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c EVOO plus more for drizzling
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 m red bell pepper
1 yellow bell peper
1 orange bell pepper
hot water as needed

Sauce
1 c packed basil leaves
1/2 c creme fraiche ( I used sour cream)
3 T olive oil
1 T water
1 garlic clove coarsley chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp of salt plus extra as needed
1/4 tsp of pepper plus extra as needed

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.

Filling: In an medium sauce pan, bring chicken broth and cumin to a boil over med-high heat. Remove the pan from heat and stir in couscous. Cover the pan until the couscous is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes. Put the couscous in a large bowl and add beans, currants, spinach, feta cheese and 1/4 c olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all seeds and ribs.

Stuff the peppers with the filling and drizzle the tops with olive oil. Put the peppers in an 8 by 8 square baking dish. Fill the baking dish with 3/4 in hot water and bake until filling is golden and the peppers are cooked through. ~55-60 minutes. If the filling browns too quickly cover with foil.

Sauce: In a blender, combine the basil, creme fraiche, olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. blend until smooth. Taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Place peppers on a plate and top with basil sauce.

The hubby loved the filling and sauce but did  not really care for the peppers. I loved all  of it together and I will make them again. For some reason I did not take another picture with the sauce on top of the pepper. I think I just got distracted but they were delicious just the same.

I hope you are having a great day!