Stuffed Peppers

Growing up, my mom used to make stuffed peppers all the time. And I loved it! Of course, she used meat and rice in her recipe. 

I recreated it vegan and it turned out so flavorful! No meat is necessary to create an amazing stuffed peppers dish. 

The quantity of the filling for this recipe will be for about 6 large peppers.

Ingredients:

6 colorful bell peppers

Filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups celery stalks, chopped 

4 green onions - chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 cup pearl barley or brown rice

1/2 cup quinoa

2 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bunch of fresh cilantro & parsley mixed, chopped

salt

pepper

Sauce:

2 1/2 cups boiling water

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon vegetable paste

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

For the filling:

In a saucepan on medium heat add olive oil, celery, green onions, salt and pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add garlic. Mix.

Add the spices: turmeric, paprika and onion powder, Saute for a couple more minutes, then add the pearl barley, quinoa, boiling water, and tomato paste. Lower the heat and let it simmer until all the water have evaporated. Add parsley or cilantro, mix and Set aside.

For the sauce:

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

For the peppers:

Cut the top part of the peppers and keep it to cover the peppers after you fill them. Scoop out the seeds.

Place the peppers in a wide pan, try to fit the peppers tightly.

Fill the peppers with the filling mixture and cover them with the top part of the pepper.

Pour the sauce over the peppers and let simmer for an hour, or until the peppers are soft.

Every 10-15 minutes, take a spoon and pour some sauce on the peppers, to keep them moist and flavorful.

Be creative and you can always use the filling in any other veggie that you like.