Stuff the Peppers, Not the Turkey!

While socializing with my mother's adorably domesticated friends at the pool last week, we brainstormed the variety of vegetables you can stuff. My favorites are stuffed peppers and stuffed zuccini, filled with anything from rice to polenta. Today, I bring you a spicy stuffy version of the delicious green bell pepper. These can be served alone (very filling!) or as an appetizer if you quarter the peppers and stuff them like a pepper boat. Enjoy!

Spanish Corn and Rice Stuffed Peppers

Serves 2

Prep Time 20 min

Cook Time 25 min

2 whole green bell peppers

1 cup brown rice, cooked

1 cup canned corn

1/2 medium white onion, diced

3 tbls tomato paste

1 cup breadcrumbs, store bought or homemade

2 tbls vegan margarine, melted

3 cloves garlic, pressed/ finely chopped

EVOO for sauteing and drizzling

salt and pepper

ground red pepper (cayenne)

2 tbls parsley, chopped

paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. After washing your peppers, use a knife to cut around the stem and wiggle it out. Using a grapefruit spoon or serrated utensil to dig out the insides of the peppers, being careful not to puncture them through to the outside. Wash out any loose seeds and set aside on cookie sheet. Heat two turns of EVOO in a medium size pan. Cook the garlic and onion at medium low heat for about 5 minutes. While the onions are cooking, combine the rice, tomato paste, corn, parsley and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Add the onions and garlic and melted margarine. Season with cayenne and S&P, to taste. Stir until a thick mixture is formed. Slowly and gently stuff the peppers with the mixture until full and rounded on top of the peppers. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the peppers are browned and starting to soften. Serve with black beans, salsa and guacamole.

Ray's Tip of the Day

Feel free to change the seasonings and baking time to suit your taste! Personally I like a more crisp pepper with spicy stuffing.

Cooking for a Non-Vegan

Add a handful of mexican-style shredded cheese to the stuffing mix.

Cooking with Kids

This is a good recipe to have your little munchkins help you with. Have them help stuff the peppers and sprinkle the paprika. Also, use less cayenne and pepper in the mixture!

Never Give Up

As my job search continues into its 10th month, I'm taking my unending persistence into the kitchen. If you spend a lot of time in that wonderful room, you probably know what it's like to have a recipe fall apart. This is the beauty of making your own works of food art - you get to experiment!

Ray's Tip of the Day:

*Don't experiment while hungry! Have a snack or cook something familiar for B/L/D, then start the kitchen chemistry. I don't know about you, but I'm a crank bot when hungry. Having a full tummy and an optimistic attitude usually go hand in hand. Happy cooking!

Recipe #2

Garlic Eggplant and Tomato Basil Stackers

Prep Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 15

Serves 4-6

Use as a L/D compliment or multiply for a favorite party dish. Ingredients: 1 Eggplant, cut into 1" thick slices 2 cups finely diced tomato, fresh or canned 6 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) Slices of crusty bread - french baguettes work great! Fresh Basil Lemon juice 1 tbls vegan butter Preheat oven to 350. In a medium skillet, heat EVOO and saute garlic on medium heat until golden (about 3 minutes). Add tomatoes and a few squirts of lemon juice and allow to simmer for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occassionally. Using a griddle pan or George Forman grill/panini press, lightly grill eggplant slices, flipping each once. Butter both sides of each bread slice and place on a cookie sheet, toast in oven for 5 minutes. Stack ingredients starting with crusty bread, spread tomato blend, add an eggplant slice and top with a small dollop of tomatoes and sprinkle with basil. So bread, tomatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, basil. YUM! Serve with linguine and red sauce or other pasta side dish. Got any non-vegan dairy lovers? Melt mozzarella cheese on their crusty bread prior to stacking and sprinkle parmesan on top with the basil. Great for kids! I like to make a smiley face on top of the kids' stackers with the tomatoes. Sometimes, I even do it for me, too. :)

Start Back at One...

One blog. One woman. One recipe. That's how it starts at least. Thanks for visiting my blog! If you're looking for vegan recipes, cooking tips, and great veg restaurants to visit in Philadelphia, definitely keep this blog bookmarked. If you have a request for a recipe you have yet to perfect, send me a comment and I'll do my best to help. Here's a little background on this vegan publisher: *Loves* Meditteranean and Italian vegan recipes Vegan desserts made with pumpkin or applesauce Red wine Food in general! *Inspirations* Rachael Ray -- she cooks everything but respects the vegetarians and vegans of the cooking community. Skinny Bitch authors, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Determined chefs - vegan or not - because the kitchen is not just a room in your house, it's a holy place of art. *Who am I?* Since you can't just address someone as "writer" or "vegan," you should know that I am Ray. Born and raised in the greater Philadelphia area, I have a true passion for the environment, animal welfare and of course, cooking delicious food. My animals are rescued, my bags are reusable, and I try my hardest to walk the walk and talk the talk. I'm an open cookbook - ask me anything! Recipe #1 Choc-Full-of-Veggies Cupcakes An irresistable dessert perfect for any group gathering, each cake with a full serving of vegetables! Credit for this recipe goes to my Momma <3 Makes 24 cupcakes One package of Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix (some brands provide dark chocolate cake mix without any egg or dairy - just read the ingredients!) 1/4 cup of warm water I large can (21 oz) of pure pumpkin Icing (optional) Blend ingredients thoroughly in large mixing bowl until powdered pieces disappear. Distribute evenly into cupcake tins. Bake according to package directions. Cool and ice if desired. Enjoy!