Chilli-bean capsicums… or bell peppers to some. A tasty yet not-so-original late night brainchild of mine.
That last 15 mins just before I fall sleep at night seems to be the time it all wants to happen. The most amazing melodies pop into my head, song lyrics seem to write themselves, and I’m struck by all of the little tasks that I missed that day that yes, I must remember to do tomorrow. But no matter how I handle this situation, I’m gonna be pissed off. If I get up and write/record all this stuff down, it’ll take me at least another hour to fall asleep (and messing with my sleep time is the quickest way to my angry place). But if I ignore it with “oh I’m sure I’ll remember this tomorrow” – then you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll wake up without a damn clue! And I’m not the only one who’s experienced this. Honestly! I swear the Universe has a twisted sense of humour. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
It was during one of these “sessions” that I was thinking about stuffing home-made chilli beans into red capsicums. I had a little image of them of them fresh out of the oven with some fresh avocado and sweet potato chips and thought “oh that’s a cute”. Haha turns out I’m not the only one who’s had this idea! Oh well, they’re delicious and totally worth the effort. The stuffed capsicums are low in starchy-carbs, but still incredibly tasty and make for a nice treat. If you need those extra carbohydrates and bit of energy, then the sweet potato chips will complement the capsicums quite nicely.
Chilli-bean Capsicums
Ingredients
- 4 red or green capsicums
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 ripe avocado
Filling:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
- 2 handfuls chopped mushrooms
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 can cooked kidney beans
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp dried basil/handful freshly chopped basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F, line a couple of baking trays with baking paper. Prepare the capsicums by cutting them in half length-ways and taking out the core, then place them on the oven tray.
- In medium-large saucepan, heat the olive oil on a medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and the crushed garlic along with a pinch of salt, and sauté on a medium – low heat for about 5 mins.
- Add in the chopped mushrooms and diced carrot and continue to sauté on a medium – low heat for 10 mins. Add the diced zucchini and cook for a further couple of mins.
- Rinse well and drain the can of cooked kidney beans, then add them to the pot. Mix in well, and then add the can of chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and all the herbs and seasoning.
- Mix well and allow the mixture to simmer on a low heat for about 10 mins – stirring occasionally, so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared capsicums, making sure that they are completely stuffed. Then place the capsicums in the oven and cook for about 20 mins.
- Once cooked, take out of the oven and allow to cool for about 5 mins before garnishing them with sliced avocado and some black pepper. Serve with your freshly baked sweet potato chips.
To make the sweet potato chips:
- Chop the sweet potato into slices, as thinly as you can (I usually leave them unpeeled for the extra texture and nutrients). Lay them onto a non-stick/grease proof baking tray and coat in a thin layer of sunflower oil and a dash of salt – making sure they are coated on both sides. Bake in the oven until golden brown and then flip over so cook on the other side.
- Keep an eye on these as they cook quickly!