Feeling Like a Pepper With Its Head Cut Off!

You know the saying, "I feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off"?  I feel like that today but a veg-i-fied version!  I had a spent a FANTASTIC weekend with a dear friend and fellow food blogger Nicole Navratil, who was visiting me from Minnesota.  Nicole and I first met through a past job in which I taught 2nd grade, and she was our school's Music teacher who also served as my aide during Reading Block.  We quickly became friends, and that was that.

Nicole has been my #1 inspiration for changing my eating habits, my lifestyle, and starting this blog.  You should really check hers out... www.perpperoniisnotavegetable.com  She's not preachy, and is a wonderful resource for anyone looking to cook more veggie meals.  Anywho, can I say how wonderful it is to spend time with someone who shares the same interest as you do??  I don't have any veg friends here in Phoenix, so when she came to town, we lived it up!  We hit up a local Vegan restaurant  called Green where we indulged on yummy food and discussed our recipe ideas.  Here's what we had...

Nicole's Jerk Tofu Salad

My Singapore Tofu

We had a wonderful weekend, then it was back to the grind.  I had surgery about 3 weeks ago, and upon returning to my class full of energetic Kindergartners, it's been like starting the year all over.  The kids are wearing me out, there's a million and one things to get done, and all I want is a glass of wine and a loooooong nap!  Hence- I feel like a chicken with it's head cut off, or in my case, a veggie.  And that's what I did for dinner tonight!  I cut some "heads" off a few peppers and stuffed those little buggers!

Here's the recipe if you feel so inclined:

Ingredients

2 Green Bell Peppers (I will use red in the future, but green was what I had)
1T EVOO for brushing
1 1/2-2 C cooked long grain brown rice
1C thinly sliced or shredded carrots
1 1/2 C chopped mushrooms
1 medium onion chopped
1 handful fresh Spinach
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 can diced tomatoes. Fire Roasted if you have them on hand.
1 tsp. Parsley
2T fresh chopped Basil
2T sliced Almonds
2T dried fruit, such as cranberries or raisins
H20 or Veggie Stock for sauteing
Fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking dish with a thin layer of H2O.  Halve your peppers and remove the seeds and ribs.  Leave the stem on if you can.  Brush the cut sides with EVOO and place in the baking dish.  Sprinkle with S&P.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until the peppers are soft and can be easily poked with a fork.

Heat a few tablespoons of water or veggie stock in a saute pan.  Saute onion and garlic until the onion is soft.  Add sliced/shredded carrots and cook for 5 minutes until soft.  Add chopped mushrooms and spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, rice, basil, parsley, almonds, fruit, and cook until ingredients are warmed through.  Season generously with S&P.








Spoon mixture into the peppers and place back into the oven for 15-20 minutes.  Remove and let set for 5 minutes.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice over top, pour yourself a hefty glass of wine and ENJOY!




















A few suggestions:

-Look for peppers that are "well-rounded"  Hahaha!  No seriously, the deeper the center, the more you can stuff them with ;)

-Using a variety of pepper colors will really make this dish stand out.

-You can use any rice you like.  Wild rice would be amazing.

-Speaking of which, use any veggies you want to stuff the peppers.  I used what I had in the fridge and what I though would taste good together.  Feel free to omit anything you don't necessarily like.  That's what cooking is all about!

-Garnish with whatever you'd like!  Fresh herbs, cheese, whatever!

Did anyone eat any yummy veggie meals this weekend?  I'd love to hear about them :)