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Greek-Style Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Favourites, Gluten-Free, Main dishes, Vegan

Greek-Style Vegan Stuffed Peppers

I was useless this past weekend. Sore throat, feverish and blowing my nose every 20 minutes. Yep, ’tis the season. I spent most of it alternating between the bed and the couch, drinking tea, sucking on lozenges and streaming missed episodes of my current favourite TV show.

Okay, perhaps not completely useless. I still managed to cook these yummy Greek-style vegan stuffed peppers in between bouts of inertia. And you? What did you (or didn’t you) do this past weekend?

P.S. Mouth-watering Bulgarian stuffed peppers.

Greek-Style Vegan Stuffed Peppers

  • 5-6 bell peppers (any colour)
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds (or half of each)
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1 tbsp olive oil + a drizzle
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup long grain brown rice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato juice
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups water for the rice + 1/4 cup
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped + more for serving
  • Pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350F. Spread almonds on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring at least once halfway. When they are cool enough to handle, chop them roughly and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat until warm. Add the pine nuts and / or sunflower seeds and toast, stirring often for 3-4 minutes until they are aromatic and a bit darker in colour. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onion for a few minutes.

Add the rice, stir and cook for one minute. Add the pine nuts and / or sunflower seeds, chopped almonds, raisins, green onions, minced garlic and ground cinnamon. Stir and cook for another minute.

 

Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, salt and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is almost cooked through. Check the mixture after 30 minutes: You may need to add more water (up to 1/2 cup) to prevent sticking.


Note: Long-grain brown rice takes a long time to cook. Depending on the rice you use, time may vary. The rice does not need to be fully cooked – it will finish cooking in the oven.

 

Preheat oven to 375F. Prep the peppers by removing the stems and seeds and place them upright in a dutch oven. When rice mixture is ready, add freshly chopped mint and parsley and adjust seasoning, to taste. Stir to combine.

Generously stuff each pepper with the rice mixture. Add 1/4 cup of water at the bottom of the pot and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over each pepper.
Cover and cook in the oven for 50 minutes. Using a turkey baster, baste the peppers at least twice during cooking (the water, oil and cooking juices make a nice gravy). After 50 minutes, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
Greek-Style Vegan Stuffed Peppers
The flesh of the peppers should be nicely cooked (it will melt in your mouth – believe me), but be careful not to overcook – the peppers should still hold their shape.
Serve topped with fresh parsley and a spoonful of the cooking juices.
Greek-Style Vegan Stuffed Peppers

 

Yields 5-6 stuffed peppers.
Recipe adapted from Konemann. 

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