8 med. yellow, green or sweet red peppers
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1 med. onion, minced
1/2 c. finely chopped cabbage
1 med. carrot, shredded
1/2 c. shredded zucchini
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes with liquid, cut up
1/2 c. uncooked long-grain rice
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. dried basil
Pepper to taste

Cut the tops off each pepper and reserve. Cook peppers in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from water and rinse with cold water. Remove stems from pepper tops and chop enough of the tops to make 1/3 cup.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, cabbage, carrot, zucchini and reserved chopped peppers. Saute until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, rice, sugar, basil and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stuff hot meat mixture into peppers. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.