Brown Rice-and-Mushroom-Stuffed Peppers (Friday)

Makes 6 peppers

6 medium red bell peppers 1 teaspoon olive oil 3⁄4 cup finely chopped shallots

4 cups fresh chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1⁄ cup toasted slivered 4 almonds

3 tablespoons dry sherry

1 1⁄2 teaspoons ancho chile powder

2 1⁄2 cups hot cooked brown rice

1 cup tomato juice

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder 1⁄4 teaspoon coarse salt

1⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: about 30 minutes, plus rice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut tops off peppers; discard seeds and membranes. Turn peppers cut-side down and place in a shallow baking dish; cover and microwave on high (100% power) 6 minutes; drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; cook 3 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Add parsley, almonds, sherry and chili powder; cook 3 minutes. Add rice, tomato juice, black pepper, garlic powder and salt; cook 3 more minutes. Spoon about 3⁄4 cup rice mixture into each pepper. Top each with 2 teaspoons Parmesan.

Place peppers in 13-by-9-inch baking dish; bake in preheated oven 15 minutes or until hot. Serve.

Per pepper: 219 calories, 35g carbohydrate, 8g protein, 5g fat (1.1g saturated), 3mg cholesterol, 304mg sodium, 7g fiber. Calories from fat: 21%.