I’ll admit it – carbs are my guilty pleasure.

My love for bread, rice, pasta, etc. is so extreme that I have to consciously avoid these foods to avoid binging. With Indian food, it’s especially hard to forgo the chawal or roti but I try! Here is one recipe when paired with a basic salad, is satisfying enough to not miss the carbs.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 medium bell peppers
• 1 ½ lb ground turkey
• 1 large white onion
• 2 tbsp coconut or olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp garlic-ginger paste
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ red chili powder
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Water and salt as necessary

Keema Stuffed Bell Peppers

1. Cut the tops off of 6 medium bell peppers, whichever kind you prefer, red, yellow or green, and take out the seeds. Rinse them well in the sink under cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
2. Place the bell peppers in one layer in a large pot with water, add a little salt, and bring to a boil. After the water boils for a few minutes, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Boiling the bell peppers for too long will make decolorize them and make them mushy so you have to be careful to watch them during this process. Once the bell peppers are done, take them out of the water and set them aside.
3. In a separate pan, make the keema as normal. I avoid red meat whenever possible so I prefer using turkey. For keema, I generally use regular ground turkey as opposed to the extra lean kind because I have noticed that the extra lean kind takes away from the flavor for rich dishes.
4. To make the keema I would finely chop 1 large onion and sauté it in 2 tbsp of oil, I use coconut or olive. Once golden, I would add in 1 ½ tbsp of garlic-ginger paste and sauté for another few minutes.
5. Then I would add in the masala – 2 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp garam masala, ½ tsp cumin, and ½ red chili powder. Alternatively, you may add in whole spices such as a stick of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, etc. to replace the garam masala, if you prefers.
6. After stirring it a few times, I would add the 1 ½ lbs of ground turkey and sauté until the meat turns brown.
7. Then I add 2 medium sized chopped tomatoes, 1 cup of water, and season with salt.
8. I add 1 cup of frozen peas and cook the keema for about 5 minutes, reducing the heat and letting it simmer at towards the end. When it’s done, I liberally add chopped cilantro.
9. Once the keema is done, stuff the bell peppers with the keema mixture and place on a baking dish, in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, allowing the keema to fully cook.