Stuffed Green Peppers

Last Thursday while flipping through the pages of a gossip magazine, I came across the most delicious picture of roasted, vegan-stuffed green peppers. Though I was not in the mood to break out the grill and my view of veganism has the same nutritional content and satisfaction level of eating seasoned notebook paper; I decided to do it my way and make up a recipe.

My first step of creating a recipe is to ask myself "What do I crave right now??”  I definitely wanted the green peppers, meat and substance, but I was feeling the need for a little kick. So this is what I used: remember I never measure so... he he good luck :)

4 green peppers.
1 red hot chili pepper.
1/2 sweet onion.
Minced garlic.
1 pound of ground beef.
1 bag of Jasmine rice (you won't use it all).
1 regular can of tomato sauce.
1 regular can of stewed tomatoes.
Extra virgin olive oil
Water.
A couple of pinches of salt.
1 beef bouillon cube.
Cajun seasoning.
Basil.
Oregano - just a little pinch. Too much will taste like pizza sauce.
One very deep pot with a lid.

Start with slicing your 1/2 onion very thin, place in pot.  Take the chili pepper and cut in half, then chop up really finely and with all the seeds, also add to the pot.  Add a knife tip of minced garlic and a three count of extra virgin olive oil to the mix and turn on the heat to medium.  You will need to watch the onions and mix around quite frequently.  Add in the bouillon cube.  Cook the onion mixture till the onions are a little see-through and mushy.

When the mixture is ready, throw in the meat to brown and sauté.  In the meantime, clean your peppers by emptying out the seeds by cutting the top off horizontally.  When the meat is all brown, add half of the tomato sauce and all of the stewed tomatoes to the mixture. At this time you can also mix in three shakes of Cajun seasoning and a couple of pinches of salt. 
Let the mixture heat up while adding one cup each of jasmine rice and water into the mixture.  Mix around for a couple of minutes before stuffing the peppers. 

Fill the peppers only 3/4 of the way and place them right side up in the pot.  Make sure that there is still some mixture at the bottom of the pot.  Now take the rest of the tomato sauce and evenly distribute between the four peppers, sprinkling three pinches of basil and one pinch of oregano, don't mix, let it sit.  Now you can cover the peppers with the pepper tops. Pour in between the peppers about a half of cup of water and still at medium temperature, let it sit for about an hour with the lid closed.  Check every 15 minutes - don't open the peppers, but just make sure you don't have the mixture around them burning; if it is just add a little pinch of water, but don't mix it.

And voila!!  Grate some of your favorite parmeggian cheese and enjoy.  This meal is also a favorite leftover, always good after being microwaved!

Leave me your comments, reviews or suggestions.