Stuffed Peppers...and a Wine Festival Event

Stuffed Peppers

Today some friends and I went for a 4 kilometer hike along part of the Kettle Valley Railway, an abandoned railway bed that winds through south central British Columbia between Midway and Hope, for a Wine Festival event , "Historic Rails & Trails Wine and BBQ ".



The KVR has countless trestles and tunnels with some truly impressive scenery and spectacular views. It is a total of 600 km that has been maintained and upgraded through volunteer efforts. Volunteers cover open trestle ties and timbers with boardwalks and install railings to make the route safe and accessible for all ages and abilities. The Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society has been instrumental in leading the restoration and maintenance of the corridor and trestles since the 1990's..

In August 2003 a bolt of lightning struck a tree in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. It was an extremely dry summer and the fire spread into the city of Kelowna. It destroyed over 200 homes and entered the Myra Canyon area of the KVR and destroyed 12 of the wooden trestles and damaged 2 steel trestles. It is still my favourite hiking trail to take visitors, but access is denied and it is still in the process of being restored. A diversion is in place around the Myra Canyon section of the 600 km trail at this time in 2007.

It is a popular trail for hikers and cyclists and has become a cornerstone in part of the greater project of the world's longest recreational pathway the Trans Canada Trail. When completed it will total more than 18,000 km (10,000 miles) in length. The east-west route begins in St. John's, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia. Trans Canada Trail It passes through all regions and provinces of Canada and encompasses hundreds of local trails woven together.

We met at 11:00 for the hike to Faulder for our wine event and caught the steam train back to the Prairie Valley Station. The Kettle Valley Steam Railway was built from 1910 - 1915 as part of the Kootenay to Coast Connection. Passenger service ended in 1964 and the last scheduled train went through Myra Canyon in 1973. There aren't many places where you can still ride the steam trains of days gone by.


At the end of the hike we had a delicious BBQ with local wines. I was famished after the hike and fresh air in the great outdoors so polished off my meal quite easily. Nothing like a great meal and a glass of wine as a reward for a little excercise! The day was not as sunny and warm as we would have hoped, but, all in all it was an enjoyable day!


Don't ask me how I had any room left.....but I had prepared this dish yesterday to have for dinner tonight. I love stuffed peppers!!! This is the first version I had made this year with the addition of meat. I have come to really enjoy a vegetarian stuffed pepper dish from Burcu at Almost Turkish She has several recipes on her blog but I enjoy the veggie ones with rice the best.

**Stuffed Peppers**

salt
4 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (1/2-inch trimmed off tops, cored, seeded)
1/2 cup long-grain rice
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely (approximately 1 cup)
12 oz ground beef
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 -1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
1-1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
1/8 cup pine nuts (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 T salt and bell peppers. Cook until peppers just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove peppers from pot, drain off excess water, and place peppers cut sides up on paper towels. Return water to a boil; add rice and boil until tender, about 13 minutes. Drain rice and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until hot, about 1-1/2 minutes; add oil and swirl to coat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking beef into small pieces with spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to bowl with rice; stir in tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Stir together tomato sauce and reserved tomato juice and wine in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.

Place peppers cut-side up in a 9-inch square baking dish. Using soup spoon, divide filling evenly among peppers. Spoon 2 T tomato sauce mixture over each filled pepper and sprinkle each with remaining 1/4 cups cheese. Bake until cheese is browned and filling is heated through 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

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