#27. Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers (Vegan)

This is a good, healthy recipe from the book Vegan Recipes, ed. Nicola Graimes. It took more time to prepare than I thought it would, but I found that the uncooked leftover filling made a delicious cold salad all by itself, so if you don't want to take the time to roast peppers and tomatoes and stuff them and bake them, then just making the filling would probably only take about half an hour to forty-five minutes.

INGREDIENTS

2 large ripe tomatoes (I used three medium ones)
2 bell peppers (the book says green and yellow or orange... I used yellow and orange)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped (go with the yellow sweet onions)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped (I got sliced almonds and just went at 'em with the knife a lil')
1/2 rice (this is the amount before cooking... I cooked a whole cup of sticky Thai rice, used half, and had leftovers)
1/2 oz fresh mint, roughly chopped (tearing mint is easier)
1/2 oz fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 tbsp sultanas (I used some decent, regular old raisins and soaked them in white wine while the rice cooked... that was fine)
3 tbsp ground almonds (I omitted this)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped mixed fresh herbs, to garnish (I used sage, thyme, and Italian oregano, which worked perfectly with the flavors of the dish)

The first step is to cook the rice--the book doesn't tell you that. I used some fancy organic white rice (intended for Thai food) that I found on clearance even though it wasn't outdated. Jackpot!!

Next, halve the tomatoes (horizontally, leaving the belly button in the top half so it can hold filling), scoop their guts out with a tablespoon (but save and chop the guts to add to the filling) and set them cut-side-down on a paper towel. Then halve the peppers vertically, cutting through the stem. Leave the stem, but clear out the seeds and most of the white ribby things. Put the peppers face down on a baking sheet, "brush" them with a tablespoon of oil (do people actually use brushes?), and cook them at 375 for 15 minutes:

(I share a kitchen, and I don't get a lot of space. I work where I can.)

Sautee the onions in 3 tbsps of oil. (The books says to fry them for 5 minutes. I like to cook them softer so I don't get onion breath/dreams.) Then add the garlic and chopped almonds and cook a minute longer.

Remove the onion pan from the heat, then stir in the rice, the chopped tomato guts, and the raisins. Once that has cooled a tad, add the parsley and mint. (The book doesn't say to let it cool first, but the mint tastes better if it doesn't get too hot.)

Put your pepper and tomato cups in a baking dish (or two!) and fill. (I had a lot of leftover filling, which was great on its own as a cold salad.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour about a half inch of water in the baking dish(es) around the pepper and tomato cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. (The book implied 375 degrees, but this made anything on the top crispy... crispy almond bits, crispy parsley leaves. It's vegan, and doesn't really need to be cooked at all, so do whatever.)

Drizzle a little more olive oil over everything and sprinkle on the ground almonds (if you want--I only added oil at this point). Bake another 20 minutes, "or until turning golden" (or don't, if you like the look of it). Serve garnished with fresh herbs.

Before baking:

After baking and garnishing:

And awkwardly plated:

This was quite good as vegan food goes, and didn't involve any "weird" vegan ingredients. I had enough leftovers for two more large meals. If you want to make just the filling as a cold salad, you could probably add roasted red pepper from a jar for convenience, or just omit the peppers altogether.

B+, both as a hot dish and as a cold salad