Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

The holidays are now in full swing. Thanksgiving is a recent memory and Christmas is just around the corner. Lots of over indulging and validation of said over indulging cause it's the holidays! I am all for that, trust me; however this year I'm trying to take advantage of the days in between celebrations to make up for the over indulging (as much as possible). 

If you're in the same boat as me or just want to try a new recipe, here's one for you: Stuffed Bell Peppers with Mexican rice. I made them vegetarian using Yves veggie meat (don't knock 'til you try it, actually really good and SO EASY) but you could also use ground beef or turkey (cause it's the holidays!). The Mexican rice I made along with this batch of stuffed peppers really is easy peasy. In fact, I will never buy boxed Mexican rice again because I think this turned out better. 

Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

Bell Peppers - the bigger, the better for stuffing

1 package Yves ground veggie meat

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Cheese, grated (i used cheddar)

1 carrot, grated

1 small bunch broccoli, chopped finely

2 green onions, chopped finely

Spices (a dash of each: garlic powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper)

Olive oil 

Veggie broth (optional)

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Preheat oven to 350.

Cut tops off of bell peppers. Scoop out insides of pepper and rinse out seeds. Chop up any edible part of the tops of peppers and add to mixture below.

Pour 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add carrot, onions, broccoli and any edible bell pepper tops. Add some veggie broth or a little water. 

Add spices and cook veggies until a bit tender.

Add veggie meat and black beans to vegetables mix and stir. Keep in pan until warm.

In a glass dish, lightly oiled, put bell peppers standing up. 

Sprinkle a little cheese into the bottom of the pepper. Spoon some veggie mixture and push down into pepper then sprinkle with some grated cheese. Repeat until pepper is full. 

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until peppers are soft. Turn off oven and put reaming cheese on the top of the pepper. Leave in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Easy Peasy Mexican Rice

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 of a medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice, uncooked
2 cups veggie broth
1 cup chunky salsa

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Heat oil in a medium or large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix rice into pot and stir until it begins to brown. Stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.

Recipe found here courtesy of the Dish on Delish.

Enjoy!