Vegan Bell Peppers Stuffed With Orzo, Mushrooms, and Kalamata Olives

Whole wheat orzo makes a nice stuffing for these bell peppers.
There are several gluten-free brands of orzo too.

Check out my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen!

It's been a busy 2 days for Doug and I. We harvested over two and a half tons of Pinot noir on our organic vineyard here in Sebastopol. Knowing how little time and energy I'd have to cook after picking all these grapes, I made these stuffed peppers ahead of time for our meals. So if you're looking for a dish to make on Sunday and cook during the work week, try this one out!

Make-ahead meals are important when you
have a busy work week ahead of you!

         *                               *                                *

Orzo Stuffed Bell Peppers
Vegan, gluten free (with gluten free orzo)
[makes 4 servings]
Requires an 8" x 8" x 4" casserole dish with cover

4 large red bell peppers (4 lobes, 1/2 pound each)
1/2 pound whole wheat or gluten-free orzo
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 pound crimini mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
3 medium tomatoes, diced or one (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 packed cup chopped fresh basil
8 pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Daiya mozzarella shreds*
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

* non-vegans can substitute low-fat mozzarella


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the peppers. Select big, square peppers with 4 lobes on the bottom so that they will stand up nicely in the casserole dish. 

Square peppers with 4 lobes.

Fill a medium size pot with water and bring to a boil. You will be using this same pot for blanching the peppers, cooking the pasta, and preparing the filling. I hate dirtying too many pots!

Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds. Boil, two at a time, for 2 minutes. Remove the peppers, leaving the boiling water in the pot. Drain the peppers well, and place in the deep casserole dish.

Place hollow, blanched peppers in deep casserole dish.

Bring the water back to a boil, add salt, and cook orzo according to directions. Make al dente.

Drain the orzo, rinse, and set aside. Dry the pot with a towel.

Heat olive oil in the pot and cook the onions for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they soften and release moisture, about 5 minutes. Season with black pepper to taste.

Add tomatoes, basil, and kalamata olives to the pot with 1/4 cup of water and stir. If you are using a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes, you do not need to add water. Cook   for a few minutes.

Stir in orzo and mozzarella "cheese." Add salt if needed.

Stuff the peppers with the orzo mixture. You may cover and refrigerate at this point or add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the casserole dish, cover and bake in preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 45 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and serve.

Each stuffed pepper provides 11 grams of protein
and 12 grams of dietary fiber!

Per serving: 375 calories, 9 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 101 mg omega-3 and 892 mg omega-6 fatty acids*, 0 mg cholesterol, 11 g protein, 103 g carbohydrates, 12 g dietary fiber, and 425 mg sodium.

* Essential fatty acids do not include any contribution from Daiya mozzarella shreds since that information is not available from the manufacturer.


For more delicious recipes, peek inside my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen.

Easy Black Bean, Corn And Quinoa Stuffed Peppers With Enchilada Sauce - Vegan And Gluten Free, Perfect For Your Super Bowl Buffet

Stuffed bell pepper halves are perfect for a casual buffet.

Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK .

Easy Entertaining
It's football season and friends and family may be gathering around the big screen, especially on super bowl weekend. Here's a simple crowd pleaser that can be made early in the day and baked right before half time.

Diet Friendly
No need to abandon our Vegan, High Fiber Diet. Each stuffed pepper half is less than 200 calories and provides a healthy 7 grams of dietary fiber. Quinoa and beans deliver high quality protein with all of the essential amino acids. 
And if you select a gluten free enchilada sauce, such as La Victoria, this dish is completely gluten free!

        *                *                *                *

Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Enchilada Sauce

Vegan, Gluten Free

Requires a 9" x 13" casserole dish

[makes 8 servings]

1/2 cup dry quinoa

1 cup water

4 large green or red bell peppers

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 ounce can (no salt added) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup corn kernels

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

salt to taste

3/4 cups Daiya cheddar style shreds

1 3/4 cups gluten free enchilada sauce, medium spice

Rinse the quinoa in cold water for several minutes. Place in a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Carefully cut the peppers in half vertically. Remove the seeds and rinse. Steam or boil until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain.

Partially cook the peppers until they begin to soften

Heat the oil in a medium fry pan and cook the onions on medium low heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Mix in the cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, cumin, black pepper, salt (if desired), Daiya cheddar style shreds and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir until well combined.

Combine the rest of the filling ingredients with cooked onions

Place 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9" x 13" casserole dish.

Fill each half pepper with the filling and place in the casserole dish.

Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce over the peppers.

Cover with foil and bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve.

Bake in the oven covered with foil until hot.

Per serving (8): 195 calories, 5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 90 mg omega-3 and 603 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 7.5 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber and 540 mg sodium.

For a complete meal, serve with Mango Avocado Salad with Lime Chia Dressing. This salad recipe can serve at least 4 people as a side salad. Double it to serve 8.

Mango avocado salad with lime chia dressing 

Vegan Black-Eyed Pea And Hominy Enchiladas - My Annual New Year's Day Recipe For Good Luck!

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day brings good luck!

Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK !

My Annual New Year's Recipe
As many of you know, I always start the year with a black-eyed pea recipe. For many decades, this tradition has brought me lots of luck so I dare not stop now.
This year, I'm making enchiladas.


Easy is Good
My son makes the best enchiladas I've ever eaten. They take hours to make and like most of his gourmet recipes, they are complicated, dirty lots of pots and pans and require far more patience than I have.
My friend also makes excellent enchiladas. One day she told me her secret - Lawry's. OK, I was surprised. She's half Mexican so I assumed she slaved all day making some family recipe. But I was delighted to know this as I could now make enchiladas without much fuss. I won't say enchiladas made with Lawry's are better than my son's, but they are quite good and I have used this ready-made seasoning mixture in today's recipe. For those of you who love spice, Lawry's is mild so plan on adding some cayenne, jalapeño or chili powder to give it more heat.

A simple way to make enchilada sauce,
Unfortunately it is not gluten free. 

I Love Hominy
I was introduced to hominy while living in Texas - the same great state where I discovered black-eyed peas. Hominy is corn without its hull and germ. When hominy is ground it's called "grits". I love hominy in all forms. When whole, it has a wonderful, chewy texture. It combines well with the black-eyed peas and gives a lovely texture to the meatless enchiladas.

White hominy

Vegan Cheese
For those of you who are vegan, lactose intolerant or just wanting to avoid dairy because you just watched "Forks over knives" or read Joseph Keon's "Whitewash - The disturbing truth about cow's milk and your health", you are probably still searching for a cheese substitute. To be perfectly honest, it's pretty impossible to replace the taste and texture of real cheese. But lots of people are pretty excited about Daiya, a dairy, lactose and casein free cheese substitute that is also gluten and soy free. I use the Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds in this recipe. If you are not vegan, you can substitute regular cheddar cheese. If you are trying to wean yourself from dairy, use half cheddar and half Daiya. 

This tapioca based cheese substitute is free of dairy, gluten and soy. 

Black-eyed pea and hominy enchiladas
vegan
[makes 8 enchiladas]


For the sauce
1.6 oz package Lawry's enchilada sauce spices & seasonings
6 ounce can tomato paste
3 cups water
pinch of cayenne, or to taste (optional)
For the enchiladas
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounce can black-eyed peas (or 1 3/4 cups cooked), drained
15 ounce can white or yellow hominy, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds, divided
8 corn tortillas


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Take out a 9"x13"x2" baking dish.

To make the sauce, mix the Lawry's spices, tomato paste, water and cayenne (optional) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make the enchilada sauce first and let it simmer while you prepare the filling.

In a frypan, heat oil and cook onions for 5 to 8 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute. 
Add drained black-eyed peas, hominy and cumin and mix thoroughly. Cook until heated throughout.
Add half the cheese and stir until melted. 

Stir half the cheese into black-eyed pea mixture.

Pour 1 cup sauce in the bottom of baking dish.
Coat each tortilla with sauce and place 1/8th black-eyed pea mixture in center of each tortilla.
Roll up the tortilla and place seam down in baking dish.

To make enchilada, place filling in the center of tortilla.

Roll up placing seams on the bottom of pan.

Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and cover with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Bake until bubbly and serve.

Per enchilada: 248 calories, 5.5 g fat, 1.3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6.5 g protein, 40.6 g carbohydrates, 6.4 g dietary fiber and 724 mg sodium.


Happy New Year and thanks for following my blog!