vegetarian dishes |

I love bell peppers, any way they’re fixed…raw, added to a salad, sauteed, and stuffed. Here’s a recent recipe I’ve developed that’s quickly become one of our favorites! The recipe is below and that’s followed by a video showing the making of this delicious vegetarian dish. Enjoy! Judi

Meatless Stuffed Peppers
Makes 3 Servings

3 bell peppers, washed, tops and cores removed
1 can beans of choice, rinsed and drained
(or 1-3/4 cups cooked dried beans of choice)
1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 to 1/3 cup diced fresh tomato
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped vegetable of choice
(ie fresh or frozen kale, spinach, zucchini, yellow squash), optional
2-3 tsp dried minced onion*
1/2 to 3/4 tsp garlic powder*
1/2 to 3/4 tsp dried basil leaves
1 to 1-1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 to 3/8 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Tomato sauce of choice
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Prepare bell peppers and place them in a deep casserole dish that has a lid; set aside. In a food processor, coarsely process 2/3 to 3/4 of the cooked beans, leaving the remaining beans whole; set aside.

In a large bowl, add the prepared beans, cooked rice, diced tomato and other vegetable of choice, the herbs, and salt and pepper. Add grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Stir to combine. Spoon in tomato sauce until ingredients bind together, using about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce.

Spoon filling into prepared bell peppers. Place another tablespoon or two of tomato sauce on top of the peppers and place about 1/3 cup of the sauce around the peppers in the bottom of the casserole dish. Place lid on casserole.

Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until peppers are tender and filling is very hot. Remove from oven and put the peppers onto serving plates. Spoon sauce from the bottom of the casserole onto peppers as a garnish. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

*If preferred, fresh onion and garlic may be used. Use 2 or 3 large cloves garlic, minced, and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup finely chopped onion. Saute briefly in 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil until barely tender. Add to mixture as per instructions above.

Lentils seem to be gaining in popularity these days as more people are striving to improve their eating habits. I’ve enjoyed lentils for years in a number of ways and am happy to see that others are catching on to this ultra-healthy legume. The following is a recipe that I came up with forming cooked lentils into a “mock” burger. They are easy to make, hold up well in a sandwich, and are versatile in that they can be used in a variety of dishes. Following the recipe is a link to my YouTube video demonstrating making them. Try them sometime. See serving suggestions below. Enjoy! Judi

Lentil Burgers
Makes 8 Burgers

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed, drained
2-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs of choice
1-1/2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp dry celery flakes OR 1/2 stalk celery chopped OR 2 Tbsp chopped fresh celery leaves
4 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup cooked brown rice, divided

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Place lentils in a medium saucepan with water, onion, bell pepper, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes until liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender.

In a large blender or food processor, place about 2/3 of the cooked lentils with remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooked brown rice. Process until ingredients are mostly pureed. Place processed ingredients in a bowl with the remaining 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice and cooked lentil mixture. Stir to combine well. Portion mixture into 1/2 cup increments.

Warm a nonstick skillet over medium heat, then add 1 tablespoon of oil. Place lentil mixture by 1/2 cup increments onto hot skillet. With a spatula, shape as for a burger. Allow to cook until firm and brown on one side, about 15 minutes. Then carefully flip and allow the second side to cook until firm, about another 15 minutes. Serve.

Serving Suggestions:
* These burgers are fabulous served in a sandwich garnished with ketchup, mustard and/or mayo with lettuce, tomatoes and even pickles or hot peppers.

* These are also excellent served with mashed potatoes and vegetables, just like you would a standard meatball or ground beef patty.

* A brown gravy would also be a wonderful topping for these burgers.

* Sauteed onions and bell peppers would be another excellent accompaniment

http://youtu.be/M-IJNqsDb7Q