Black Eye Pea Ratatouille Stuffed Red Bell Pepper

Directions

Black Eyed Peas

1. Rinse black eyed peas and soak them in room temperature water for about 8 hours overnight. After 8 hours, drain then set aside.  
2. In a small saucepan, add water, a pinch of salt, and the black eyed peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the black eyed peas are soft and tender but still holding their shape. Drain, then set aside to cool.

Quinoa

1. Rinse quinoa, then drain and set aside.  
2. In a small saucepan, add water, a pinch of salt, and quinoa, then bring to a boil. Cook on medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the quinoa is all cooked. Drain if needed and set aside.

Ratatouille   

1. Prepare the vegetables by mincing garlic and dicing the tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini and onion. 
2. In a small saucepan, heat up a bit of olive oil then stir-fry the garlic and onion until they turn into a nice golden color. Add tomato paste and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Next, add the remaining vegetables and thyme then cook on medium heat until all the vegetables soften. 
3. Add the cooked black eyed peas and cooked quinoa into the saucepan, and stir to combine everything. 
4. Season with salt, sugar and black pepper, then set aside.

Stuffing Bell Peppers   

1. Cut the top part of the red bell peppers and remove the seeds inside. 
2. Lightly coat the outside of the red bell peppers with olive oil.
3. Fill the red bell peppers with ratatouille until they are full to the top. 
4. Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 15 minutes or until the bell peppers are cooked but still holding their shape.  
5. Remove from the oven, garnish with salad leaves and basil, then serve.