Meatless Monday for the Flexitarian

     Though neither my squeeze nor I are vegetarians, we do practice Meatless Mondays.  I am slightly more committed to the idea, whereas he could probably take it or leave it.  We've been actively eating meatless on Mondays for close to a year now, and have come across some really delightful recipes (some are posted in the new "Other Peoples' Recipes" tab!).

     I would say "flexitarian" (which I did not coin) is a more appropriate term for our diets, meaning we're flexible.  I eat meatless when it suits me or what I'm craving.  And as it happens, there are such delicious restaurants in Milwaukee, many of them catering to vegetarian lifestyles with more than the "salad-only" veg option.  Our easiest and most populous options for homemade meatless meals are usually stir-fries, quesadillas, fish tacos, lasagna, pizza, or sandwiches.  Tonight we opted for something a little different.

     I grew up eating my mom's stuffed green peppers, but I'd never had a vegetarian version.  Cooking Light's Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers was my inspiration tonight.  I substituted and swapped where I knew I preferred other flavors, but generally used this recipe as a guide.  It was actually really delicious and I didn't miss the meat at all (tip: the meaty and woodsy flavor of mushrooms will almost always compensate enough for omnivores). 

• So, the original recipe makes six peppers.  I guestimated the proportions for four.  Since we aren't baking here, it's safe to make guesses.  As far as seasoning goes, my best tip is just to use everything to taste.  
• It calls for sherry, I used the reserved water I re-constituted porcini mushrooms in.
  
• It also calls for sliced almonds; I subbed pine nuts.
• Lastly, the original recipe asked for ancho chile powder.  I like-a the spice, so I used chipotle powder (though, not 1 1/2 t., only 1/2 t.).

Decapitate, de-stem, and de-membrane your peppers.

Parboil the peppers for about five minutes, then drain, and saute the good stuff together (mushrooms, shallots, etc.) in the meantime.  Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the stuffing, by the way.

Everything else is pretty easy.  Once you've combined the rice, juice, and salt and pepper, you stuff your peppers, top with some parmesan, and bake those bad boys for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Also, taking a page out of my ma's cookbook, I drizzled the remaining tomato juice over the top and to line the bottom of the baking pan.

When paired with some steamed edamame (soy pods), you've got yourself a spicy, nutritious, less-than-400-calorie meal!

Not to mention, we have leftovers for lunch this week, which is almost always the best part of home-cookin'.