Stuffed Peppers Vegetarian Style

Usually, I stuff Italian green peppers with whatever is left over in the fridge.... not very Martha-esque, I know. I've often used rice, couscous, or ground beef as the primary base, then added on to that. Last night, I tried a different approach, using only veggies. I used my Pampered Chef chopper to quickly chop the veggies, and completely filled the whole peppers instead of slicing the peppers in half. They were delicious, and healthy. Let me know what you think.

Veggie and Feta Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 long, thin Italian green peppers

5 thin asparagus spears, chopped fine

1 medium carrot, chopped fine

1 large portabello mushroom cap, chopped fine

1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, minced

6 large grape tomatoes, chopped fine

1/3 cup white wine

1/2 cup fresh plain breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Feta cheese (add a bit more or less, depending on how much you like Feta)

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.

Heat oil in medium saute pan, then add carrots and onions. Cook for about 5 min., stirring occasionally, until partly softened. Stir in asparagus, garlic, and mushroom. Cook 2 more min., then add white wine to deglaze the pan. Cook 2 min., then remove from heat. Add chopped tomatoes, then stir in breadcrumbs and Feta cheese. Spoon mixture into whole peppers -- insides and top stem removed -- holding upright and banging a bit to get mixture down to the bottom. Fill peppers completely. Place in greased baking pan. Bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until charred on the outside. Don't worry if filling spills out a little. Serve immediately.