Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 2 tbls. olive oil
• 2 large bell peppers (I used one red, one green) \
• ½ of a 1 lb. tube of organic polenta (about 1 ½ cups) – diced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used white button)
• 1 1/2 tbls. chopped garlic
• 2 tsp. chili powder (more if you prefer as you taste)
• 3 tbls tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• I carton of veggie stock (you will use 2-3 cups – Kitchen Basics is my preferred brand)
• 1/2 cup vegan cheese (I used a soy based variety)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the top 1/2 inch of the peppers and clean, inside and out and set aside to dry. Cut the usable pepper away from the stems on the “tops” and dice.
3. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium/high and add the onions. Cook for 5-6 mins or until softened.
4. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another 3-5 mins or until the mushrooms begin to reduce.
5. Add the chopped peppers and cook for another 3-4 mins or until they are softened.
6. Add the tomato paste, chili powder and about ½ a cup of veggie stock. Stir until well combined.
7. Add the polenta and combine with the veggies. You may need to “mush” down the pieces as they cook to combine well to make the stuffing.
8. Add broth as needed to keep the consistency similar to a wet paste - be careful not to burn.
9. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
10. Divide the stuffing evenly between the two peppers – filling almost to the top. Finish filling by covering the stuffing with spoonfuls of the diced tomatoes.
11. Add the remaining tomatoes to the bottom of the pan and add about 1 cup of veggie stock.
12. Cook, covered, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (I used a small Le Creuset for this – but if you don’t have a pot with a lid that can go in the oven, cover well with foil). At 30 mins, check to be sure the peppers have cooked and remove from the oven. Be careful not to overcook them - they can turn to mush and then are hard to serve. Turn on the broiler.
13. Top each pepper with ½ of the cheese and return to the oven and broil for 3-5 mins or until the cheese has melted.
14. Serve warm with a fresh green salad.
15. These peppers are very large servings. I can make 4 meals for one or 2 meals for 2 out of this recipe if served with a salad.