Happy mid-July! I’m still on my healthy food kick, so today, I’m bringing you a meal full of grains, nuts, and vegetables. I promise it’s so flavorful you won’t miss the meat! This is a vegan take on a Polish Stuffed Peppers (Papryka Nadziewana), something my grandmother would probably kill me for messing with. Sorry, Gram! I think you’d like these once you got over my blasphemy!
As a side note, I’ve gone mostly pescatarian these days, and the absence of meat has really opened up my taste buds, forced me to use more spices and herbs, and been an all-around positive for my health. I’m not suggesting anyone else give up meats, but the world of flavor is so interesting when you take them out of the picture!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED, PER PEPPER
- 4 mushrooms, sliced
- 1/8 of an onion, chopped
- 4 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- fresh rosemary
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup veggie broth
- 1/2 cup of quinoa
- 1/4 cup of ground almonds
- 1 red pepper with the top cut off
THE PROCESS
First, grind your almonds in a food processor until they are fine and powder-like. Take 2 TB of olive oil and saute your mushrooms and onion in it, adding the rosemary towards the end. While you saute, boil your quinoa in the veggie broth (you’ll know it’s done when the spirals open up — by the way, have I told you how much I love quinoa? If you were very broke, you could actually live on it alone for a while! It’s full of protein and delicious and versatile!) Add you sauteed mushrooms and onion to the food processor, with the other two TB of olive oil and the salt and pepper to taste. Take your quinoa (if you have a little veggie broth left in the pot, that’s actually preferable to add, too) and mix it with your processed mushrooms, onion, and almond. Stuff this delightful mixture into your pepper, and bake for about 25 – 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Voila! Healthy , vegan, and tasty! To make a full meal, maybe add some of Erin’s mashed potatoes and a little Greek side salad (romaine, kalmata olives, feta, and balsamic dressing).
apocalycious 