The Healthy Chef – Teresa Cutter

This yummy dish is a regular at my place.  It’s something I can whip up very quickly and it also looks pretty flash if I’m having a dinner party, served over a bed of rocket leaves. I love using both red and yellow capsicums as they look very pretty on the plate.  They are a good source of Beta carotein , vitamin C and B6, although red capsicum are much higher than the other colours in these vitamins.   They all contain the natural pain killer capsaicin, clinically proven to be  usefull against arthritic pain.

Spinach is a super source of antioxidants and folate. Folate is involved in energy and amino acid metabolism, DNA synthesis for new cell growth and blood cell formation in the bone marrow.  Deficiency has been linked with fatigue, anaemia and depression. Ricotta is a good source of protein for repair and calcium for muscle contraction and bone strength.

Makes 8 Capsicums

4  capsicums
sea salt and pepper to taste
400 g ricotta
4 ripe tomatoes
4 tablespoons Green Dressing
1 portion spinach filling

SPINACH FILLING

500 g spinach leaves
2 cloves smashed garlic
pinch black pepper and sea salt
pinch nutmeg

MAKE THE SPINACH FILLING

Saute garlic until soft over a  medium heat in 1 tablespoon of olive  oil.
Add spinach leaves – you may have to add in 2 batches if spinach doesn’t fit it, but that’s cool.
Season with a little sea salt, pepper, nutmeg.
Cook only until spinach has wilted then remove from the heat and drain out any excess liquid.

GREEN DRESSING

1 bunch parsley leaves
1 bunch mint leaves
1 lemon
60 ml cold pressed olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Make the green dressing by combining all the ingredients into a high speed  blender like a VitaMix and process until smooth. Use about  60 – 80 ml olive oil to start, then if needed add more  only if needed for desired consistency. The dressing should be a lovely bright green colour.
Season with a little fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt but not too much.

FOR THE ROAST CAPSICUMS

Slice the capsicums in half lengthways and remove the seeds.
Place onto baking trays and  divide over then spinach and ricotta between the 8 halves.
Top each with a tomato half.
Season with salt and pepper and bake in a moderate oven 180 C for 30 minutes until capsicums have slightly collapsed and tomatoes soft and roasted.
Remove from the oven and place onto serving plates.
Enjoy with a green salad.

NOTES:  Ricotta can be replaced with organic silken tofu if you can’t have dairy.  Blend 300 g with a small handful of cashew nuts to give it substance, then use as required.
Other veggies can be used to stuff such as roasted pumpkin chunks which are yum!

NUTRITION per half capsicum with 1 teaspoon green dressing

Protein: 8.8 g
Fat: 9 g
Carbs: 4.2 g
Kilojoules: 584
Calories: 140

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