Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

I love the look and idea of stuffed bell peppers. Over the last few years, I have fallen in love all the more with bell peppers, especially the red ones. You can literally cut those up into strips and just eat them raw, and they are so tasty like that, or especially with a dip of some kinds. Really any of them, yellow, orange, red or green are all so tasty. I had some preconceived idea about peppers I think from when I was young. Its so important to keep trying new things all the time, so you don't miss out on some real treat, that also happens to be incredibly healthy for you! Now I am growing 3 different varieties in my garden this year, and I am very excited about it.

This a fun and different recipe than I had been used to with peppers. Why not try it with all the beautiful colors of peppers out there? Here is the recipe, and if you would, let me know what you think if you try these, as I would be curious to know, thanks! For me, I get the best results when I use the freshest ingredients I can find. Its part of the beauty of growing your own tomatoes if you can, as you can use vine ripened tomatoes, etc.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

Four red bell peppers (or any color that you want to use or have on hand)

One clove of garlic, I press with my garlic press

One and a half cups of mushrooms, chopped

One zucchini, chopped small

One and a quarter cup of cooked brown rice (you can use white, but this is more tasty and healthy, in my opinion)

Two tomatoes peeled and seeded, chopped

One third cup of nuts or seeds (like sunflower seeds, cashews, or even walnuts, etc.)

One half cup of black pitted olives

Your choice of assorted herbs, like thyme, basil, rosemary, flat parsley, either fresh and chopped or dried. I love to add a generous dash of cayenne pepper always too.

Sea salt or kosher salt, and cracked black peppercorns

See below for directions

Directions:

Make sure your oven is heated to 350 degrees by the time you put these in. 

First,  Slice off the tops of your four peppers, and get rid of the seeds inside.  Blanche your peppers in boiling water for four minutes, then drain.  Reserve the tops of the peppers to put back on prior to putting into the oven.

Next, in a pan heat some oil, and add your garlic, mushrooms and zucchini.  Cook this for 5 minutes or so, while stirring.  Turn off the heat and add one and a half cups of brown rice.

Dice the tomatoes, and add them to the mixture.

Take whatever seeds or nuts you want to use, and grind them up finely in a food processor or even in a clean coffee grinder.  I had great results using sunflower seeds one time, you can use whatever you like here.  Add these to the mixture, as well as one half cup of chopped black olives. 

Add salt and pepper and your herbs and gently combine all together till its really mixed up well. 

Spoon your mixture into red bell peppers, and then add the tops of the peppers. 

In a shallow baking dish, add a little bit of water, and the peppers.  Carefully cover these with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.