Stuffed Peppers

This week’s theme for Whip It Up was “healthy”, so the choice was obvious for me; stuffed vegetables. There is nothing better than a vegetable stuffed with more vegetables (Husband disagrees, which is why I am enjoying cooking just for me lately) and these certainly did not disappoint. Easy, healthy, and delicious!

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 4-6 bell peppers
• 1 pound soy crumbles or ground beef
• 2 onions, diced (separated)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces crushed tomatoes
• mexican blend cheese
• 1 ripe tomato, cored and quartered
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
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Directions:

1. To prepare rice, process tomatoes and onion (1) in food processor until smooth, about 15 seconds. Remove ribs and seeds from jalapeno, mince, and set aside.
2. Heat oil in saute pan with lid. Add rice and fry, stirring frequently, until light golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add jalapeno pepper, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, vegetable broth, tomato paste and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover pan and transfer to oven; bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
3. Cut tops of peppers and remove seeds and ribs from inside pepper.
4. Heat large pan over medium-high heat. Add soy crumbles or ground beef and cook until browned. Add onions, garlic, and crushed tomatoes. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes.
5. Add a small handful of shredded cheese and one to two cups rice mixture (to personal preference) and mix thoroughly.
6. Fill each pepper with the mixture, squashing down to fill as much as possible. Stand upright in a baking dish.
7. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Remove foil, top each pepper with more shredded cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.