CS(Amen)! Stuffed Peppers, Three Ways

My dear friend, LVD,  and I have been talking about the glory of stuffed vegetables so when I saw the loot of peppers we got from the farm this week I was giddy with enthusiasm! I hid them in our fridge hoping they would stay safe until I had the chance to make these little darlings for my household. I was guessing as I went with this recipe, hoping to get a flavorful and delicious filling. The results were this: a spicy blend of rice, TSP (textured soy protein), garlic, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, and spices. Don't be intimidated! Stuffed veggies are very forgiving and impressive! We had three types of peppers to stuff, poblano, bell, and banana. The banana peppers were my favorite!

6-7 peppers for stuffing
1 medium sized yellow onion (chopped)
1/2 red onion (chopped)
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 jalapeno (diced)
1 banana pepper (sliced)
1/2 medium sized zucchini (chopped)
10 mushrooms (chopped)
1 cup TSP
1 cup vegetable broth
1-2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 bay leaf
splash of braags
1/3 cup tomato sauce
2 tomatoes (diced)
1 cup rice
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the rice (you can use any type of rice). Re-hydrate the tsp in 1 cup of vegetable bouillon. Cover while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients. In a very large pan, saute the onions olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic, peppers, and zucchini and saute for a few more minutes. Add the spices, being careful not to burn them. Next add the mushrooms, re-hydrated tsp, braags, bay leaf, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Let this all cook together for 10 minutes or so. Add the cooked rice to the melange and stir. Let this cook for another 10 minutes, tasting and adjusting as necessary. When you are completely satisfied with your filling, turn the oven on to 350. Very carefully, slice the tops off the peppers, preserving as much pepper as possible. Fill each pepper. Chances are, you will have extra filling. Great! Use the extra filling to help the peppers stand up in your casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the peppers are starting to get soft.

Enjoy!
NRG