Stuffed Peppers

Traditionally stuffed bell peppers are made with ground beef and cheese - poor cows! This version is just as tasty, probably more filling, and doesn't leave you feeling like you have a rock in your gut. It's light, healthy and tasty. They key is lots and lots of seasonings. :o)

3 bell peppers (I use green, but use any color you like)
1 1/2 c. cooked rice
1 1/2 c. cooked lentils
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. tomato paste*
Water
Taco seasoning to taste**
Real Salt to taste
4 to 5 dashes Chipotle Tobasco sauce
4 to 5 dashes worcestershire sauce
1/8 c. nutritional yeast

Cook rice and lentils if you don't already have them cooked. Don't be afraid of making too much - you can just measure out what you need for this recipe and save the rest for a future meal.

Fill a very large pot with hot water, within a couple of inches of the top. Bring to a boil. Remove cores and seeds from peppers, rinsing well to remove any remaining seeds. Submerge in boiling water and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes - DO NOT OVERCOOK! Mushy peppers won't work for this at all. :) To test, they should be fork-tender, but still be able to stand up on their own. It's better to remove them early and test, because you can always put them back in the hot water if they need to be cooked a little longer. When finished, remove peppers from water and let drain, upside down, while preparing the rest of the dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When olive oil is warm, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onion and garlic are soft and aromatic. Add lentils, rice, and tomato paste, stirring to combine. Add water as needed to keep the mixture moist (I ultimately ended up adding about 2 cups hot water by the end, but do so gradually). Add taco seasoning, Real Salt, Chipotle Tobasco and worcestershire (most worcestershire sauces have anchovies and are therefore not vegan - but if you look hard you can find a vegan version). Continue stirring, adding water as needed, and adjusting for taste. Remove from heat.

Line an 8x8 baking dish with foil. Do NOT coat with cooking spray as this will make your peppers burn. Your peppers should be firm enough to stand on their own. Stuff each pepper with 1/3 of the stuffing. If desired, top with vegan cheese. Most vegan cheeses don't melt. For my kids I add dairy cheese, but I leave mine naked, so to speak. Prop them up together so they don't fall over (hence the reason for using a small baking dish as well).

Bake for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes. Using tongs, grab the peppers and cut in half. Top with vegan sour cream if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Variation: Cut peppers in half prior to stuffing. Divide the filling six ways. Pro: you don't have to try to cut a hot pepper in half. Con: the stuffing doesn't stay in quite as well. Another option is simply to serve the peppers whole, though this is a LOT of food. Fine for my teenage children, but a little too much for me. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container and eat within a couple of days.

*Most cans of tomato paste come in 6 ounces, and I rarely use 6 ounces at once. To avoid waste, I measure it out into 1-tablespoon portions and freeze. When I need the tomato paste, I simply pull it out of the freezer and add it directly to the recipe.

**Using a premade taco-seasoning may not seem very "vegan." I totally agree. However, I bought a container of it at Costco quite some time ago and I'm still trying to use it. I'm a huge fan of not wasting, so until the warehouse-sized container of taco seasoning is gone, this will show up in my recipes. After that, I will come up with some! :~)