Saturday, February 5, 2011

Vege-Tastic

A 6-day work week makes for a slightly exhausted Hungry Spoon.

It's rare that these 1-day weekends grace my work schedule--they're designed for our monthly Saturday programs, so they only come around once a month. And fortunately, I work with a group of sweet and enthusiastic high school students, so my work is quite fun--they keep me on my toes, and they definitely keep me energized.

Yet, walking in the door at 6pm on a Saturday, just as your work-week comes to a close, the last thing on one's mind is dinner preparation.

Thank goodness Adam can read my mind. His mind-reading talent really makes for a happy marriage.

Tonight the man whipped up a batch of vegan stuffed bell peppers. These babies were loaded with seasonings and spices. And unlike the usual stuffed veggie filling, there was no grain/carb component (rice, bulgur, etc.). Just veggies n' beans (thus leaving more room for dessert).

There is no under-estimating the vegan-licious-ness of this entree. It hits somewhere between "mind-blowing" and "epic" on the tasty-meter.

With that being said, I'm signing off for the night. Definitely need to catch up on some Grey's Anatomy via Hulu...while wearing sweatpants...and eating dessert. Sounds like a winning conclusion to a 6-day work-week to me.

Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers
(adapted from a recipe in Veganomicon)

This dinner is definitely one of those "I-want-to-show-my-friends-how-awesome-vegan-food-really-is" type of recipes. It's company-worthy. And seriously vegan-licious.

Ingredients:
  • 3 bell peppers, halved (with seeds and membrane removed)
  • a dash of olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup of finely diced carrots
  • 7 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 cans (15 oz. each) diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • fresh parsley to taste
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2) Place the bell pepper halves in the boiling water and cover. Allow to boil for 5 minute; drain immediately and rinse them with cold water.

3) Meanwhile, heat the dash of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and carrot for about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add the bay leaves, remaining herbs and spices, salt, tomatoes, beans, and peas. Cook for about 10 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced. Stir in parsley to taste.

4) Remove the bay leaves. Spoon about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the mixture into each pepper half. Bake for about 25 minutes. You will have a large amount of leftover pepper filling. It's so delicious and stew-like, I recommend just serving it as a bowl of soup when you're hunting for leftovers the next day.



14 comments:

  1. Its weird. I hate raw bell peppers, but once they are cooked and are nice and soft, I cant get enough of them! I can take them raw in small amounts, but they need to be cooked otherwise! This looks perfect though :) I made some before and stuffed them with quinoa. It hit the spot!
    P.S. thanks for the incredible comment earlier. You are way too sweet! :)

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  2. I've never had a stuffed bell pepper, but that is because I am not a fan of bell peppers in general :/ However, I'm wondering if it's different cooked? So many people seem to like it!

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  3. The veganomicon samosa potatoes are like that too! I can't wait to try this! I need as many vegan meals in my diet as I can get! <3

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

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  4. 6 day work week?! You deserve a day off! Enjoy your relaxing night :)

    These peppers look so good! I'm all about stuffed peppers lately. So easy and tasty!

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  5. It sounds like you and me end our work weeks very similarly! I hope that you get a great night of sleep tonight and wake up feeling refreshed. I'm so glad that you came home to such a delicious meal. Aren't husbands the best? Thank you for sharing, sweet friend. May your Sunday be one of peace and love.

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  6. wow, looks like he made the perfect meal at the perfect time! It looks wonderful!

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  7. Looks like your hubby scored major points! I love stuffed peppers..I usually make a tropical version with cubed ham and pineapple, but I love the idea of all veg too!

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  8. We've been battling with Stuffed Peppers - how to season them, keeping them from getting too dry, etc. The thought of removing the rice and hitting the spices THAT hard sounds like it could be the magic bullet.

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  9. Awe, how sweet of your hubs to have such a wonderfully delicious dinner created for you!
    And I bet being around those kids is great for your energy!

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  10. stuffed bell peppers with beans remind me of Mexican dishes.
    Sorry to hear about your working schedule, hope you get plenty of rest today.

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  11. Those vegan stuffed bell peppers look great! I am really interested in trying more vegan meals because they pretty much always manage to get in a couple of servings of fruits and veggies. I almost went vegan a couple of times but I SWEAR that every time I have, someones always tempted me to eat something with either chicken or cheese. Or BOTH!

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  12. Vegan stuffed bell peppers are totally delightful and u have done wonderful here!
    Ur filling is fantastic!

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  13. Yum....i'm always looking for new ways to make stuffed peppers (veganized of course)

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  14. Mmm, these do sound good and that filling really would make a nice stew! So nice that Adam cooks such yummy things, too. I'm glad the 6 day work weeks are only a once a month occurrence!

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