Gluten-Free Stuffed Bell Peppers

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 1 ½ hours

Ingredients:

• 4 large bell peppers

• ⅓ cup dry rice

• ¾ cups corn kernels

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• ¼ onion - diced

• 4 cloves garlic - minced

• ⅔ cups vegan beef

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ¼ teaspoon coriander

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• ⅓ cup tomato sauce

• 1 cup shredded cheese

• Parsley for topping

Steps:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees

2. Cut tops off peppers and remove ribs and seeds - place cut side down in a baking dish with 1 cup of water, cover, place in oven to bake for 25 minutes

3. Start to prepare all other ingredients - start by cooking the rice

4. Saute the onions and garlic for 3 minutes, add the vegan meat, continue to saute for 2-3 minutes

5. In a bowl combine the rice, meat mixture, spices, tomato sauce, and ¾ cups of the shredded cheese - gently mix

6. Dump out water remaining in the pepper baking dish, flip peppers, fill peppers to the top with the filling, cover the baking dish, place back in oven for 35 minutes

7. Remove from oven, top peppers with last ¼ cup of shredded cheese, place back in oven for additional 10 minutes, uncovered

8. Top with parsley and enjoy!

This recipe can so easily be made to be both gluten-free and vegan just by using a faux cheese. I’d suggest using a shredded blend by Follow Your Heart because it melts so well and isn't void of flavor. It’s really hard to find gluten-free faux meats so Beyond Meat products are my go-to and they’re honestly delicious. The first time I used Beyond products I read the ingredient list over and over because I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t real meat. It looks just like real sausage and beef! I used the sausage for this recipe but the beef would also be delicious. Most grocery stores stock it in the actual meat section which makes me uncomfortable but I appreciate that it makes it more accessible to the meat eaters out there. This recipe is inspired by a recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook but I made it WAY better because I didn’t use quinoa. Here is a quote from The Office that sums up my feelings about quinoa, “Why are you the way that you are? Honestly, every time I try to make something fun or exciting, you make it not that way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be.” Quinoa is dumb. With the exception of this epic quinoa mistake, this is a really fantastic cookbook that I use regularly. I made four peppers in total and they were still delicious the next day and made for a good, quick lunch. Hope y'all enjoy!