Lentil and Veggie Stuffed Bell Peppers

I made this up! yay! It's actually quite tasty -- it has an earthy kind of flavor but you can still taste the freshness from the carrots.

• 3 tblsp vegetable broth
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 large carrot, skinned, chopped into tiny pieces
• 1/2 c portabella mushrooms, diced
• 1/2 c cooked brown rice*
• 1/2 c brown lentils, drained and rinsed (canned)
• 4 tblsp cilantro, chopped
• 4 tblsp feta
• 2 green bell peppers
• olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. On medium heat, cook the shallot and garlic in the broth until they begin to release their aroma. Add the carrot and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If they start to stick, add water 1 tblsp at a time.
3. Transfer carrot mixture to mixing bowl. Add cooked brown rice and lentils. Stir to combine.
4. Add cilantro and 2 tablespoons of the feta. Stir to combine.
5. Cut off just the tops of the bell peppers and scoop out the inside (rinse to remove seeds). Put a small bit of olive oil in your hands and lightly coat the outside and top cut edge of the bell peppers. Fill the bell peppers with the carrot mixture almost to the top, then top with the remaining feta.
6. Place the stuffed peppers on a lined cookie sheet or thin pan and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes or until the outsides of the peppers begin to wrinkle (note that the feta will not really appear to melt).

*Variations!
We got a bag of lentils and plenty of other ingredients so I tried two slightly different variations.

1. use red quinoa instead of brown rice. richer flavor.
2. add alcohol to the cooked vegetable mixture. the first time I used rose wine and I really really liked that. the second time I used a lager and it was good but not special like the wine made it.