Vegan
Isn’t it nice to have a recipe on hand for when you have company over and you need a dinner that looks like it took a lot of work but really didn’t? My go to: stuffed peppers. Shoot, I just gave away my secret.
The best thing about stuffed peppers is that you can stuff ‘em with pretty much anything and you can cook them just about anywhere. I like mine grilled best, but I’ve been known to broil them in the toaster oven more often than not.
These peppers can be ready to eat in less than 15 minutes depending on what kind of rice you use.
I make it easy on myself by cooking a big batch of brown rice and refrigerating it so it’s ready when I need it. {I’m not an advanced planner when it comes to hunger.} If you don’t have any premade and need a meal on the table quickly, quick cooking rice, quinoa, or orzo would be a good fast option.
by with a Side of Sneakers
- 2 green or red bell peppers, sliced in half top to bottom
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup brown rice {or other grain}
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 can diced green chiles
- Optional: diced jalapenos or yellow corn
Mix beans, rice, and taco seasoning.
Fill peppers with bean mixture.
No taco seasoning? Try a mix of chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper instead.
If you’re not vegan, feel free to top with cheddar cheese before cooking.
Pop on the grill until peppers slightly char and filling is warm. Or cheat like me: heat the bean mixture in the microwave while broiling the empty peppers, then fill and serve.
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What’s your favorite easy entertaining meal?
Pssst. Check out baby’s first vacation over on tiny sneakers!
Recipe
I have to tell you, I feel less and less like cooking every day. Pregnancy took me completely by surprise by destroying my appetite. No food sounds good and I don’t really want to be around it most of the time.
Of course I still get hungry, so eventually I have to come up something –anything- to eat, and heaven forbid I let the husband go hungry. Every evening goes a little bit like this. {Sometimes I start asking in the middle of the day just to get the ball rolling.}
“What do you want for dinner?”
“I don’t know, what do you want?”
“I don’t, I came up with something yesterday.”
“Well that was yesterday. If you want to eat again today, you have to come up with something.”
And so on and so forth; you get the picture.
The days of long cooked meals and elaborate ideas has long flown out the window. Now, the easier the better.
My latest solution? Pita pockets. I throw some vegetables in the oven to roast, some pitas in the toaster, and then act like I concocted a meal fit for a queen. Hey, you never know, maybe the queen loves veggies too.
So this isn’t so much a recipe as it is a meal idea, for the next time you might be struggling to come up with a dinner {or lunch} idea.
Roasted Red Pepper Portabella Pita Pockets
1 pint baby portabella mushrooms
1-2 red bell peppers
large handful of mixed greens
balsamic vinegar
2 whole wheat pita pockets
Slice the red bell peppers into quarters. Lay skin side up on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes under the broiler, until the skin starts to char. You can peel the skin off if you’d like, but I leave it on.
Bake the mushrooms and any other veggies you want at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Toast the pitas.
Toss the mixed greens in balsamic vinegar, then stuff into the pitas. When the veggies are done, cut into smaller pieces as needed and place inside the pita.
I roasted a bunch of asparagus along side the mushrooms as a side dish. They’re simply coated in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper- delicious.
Easy enough, right? If you make a bunch of extra roasted veggies, next time around all you have to do is stuff the pitas.
What’s your favorite no think meal?
*Don’t forget to enter the 7th generation & Le Creuset giveaway- ends tonight at midnight!*
The latest on tiny sneakers: Cloth Diapers 101
Recipe
Based on our annual salsa consumption in this house, I’m thinking it’d be smart to start investing in restaurant-sized tubs of the stuff. Or in Old El Paso’s stock.
Not that we really needed an excuse, but I thought it might be nice to eat the stuff on something different for a change. Like enchiladas. Sure, they already have sauce, but I was sure they’d be even better with salsa.
I was right. Although what came out of my kitchen was more burrito-like. Somewhere between an enchilada and burrito. We’ll say it’s a burritolada.
Filled with refried beans, brown rice, and onion, these guys are sure to fill you up and satisfy you’re need for copious amounts of Mexican food.
At first glance, they look like my black bean pineapple enchiladas. I assure you they’re not. {Those are still my all time fave.}
My secret to delicious enchiladas without the cheese lies in the broiler. A few minutes on high to get a nice crispy, brownish crust, and they go from good to awesome.
With a nice pile of bell peppers cooked in Worcestershire sauce and cumin. You could opt to put these in the burritos if you wanted, but mine never would’ve rolled up. I like them on their own anyway.
Now comes the fun part: the toppings.
Salsa, jalapeno, and cilantro on mine, salsa, jalapeno, and sour cream for the husband. Much like our crock pot baked potatoes. 
I’m not convinced I like cilantro.
Ingredients
- 10 whole wheat tortilla shells
- 2 cups brown rice
- 2 14.5 oz cans of vegetarian refried beans
- 2 Tbsp low sodium taco seasoning
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 14.5 oz can enchilada sauce
- Optional toppings: salsa, jalapenos, cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare rice according to package directions.
- Saute onion on medium high heat until starts to brown.
- Stir in tomato paste and water. Let cook for a few minutes, then mix into cooked rice.
- Fill tortilla shells with a little bean mixture followed by some rice mixture.
- Fold the ends in, then roll up. Place seam side down in greased baking dish.
- Repeat for all enchiladas.
- Cover with enchilada sauce, making sure to cover as much of the tortilla as possible.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- For the last 3 minutes, crank broiler up to high. Cook until tops start to bubble or brown.
3.1
https://www.sideofsneakers.com/homemade-enchiladas/
Are you a burrito person or an enchilada person? I’m not a fan of restaurant enchiladas at all, which is weird considering the amount I go through at home.
Find out what we did or didn’t decide about finding out the baby’s sex this afternoon on tiny sneakers!
Dinner
One of my favorite things to grill are stuffed peppers. Sometimes it can be hard to get in on the grilling action when you’re not into meat. Sure veggies & fruits are fun, but they’re not a meal by themselves.
Stuffed peppers, however, are an awesome veggie option, and just seem to taste so much better with a little char on the outside. 😉
Black Bean Stuffed Bell Peppers
2 red bell peppers
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup cooked barley
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
Chopped jalapenos (optional)
Seasonings to taste: garlic & onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin
Slice tops of peppers to form “bowl”. Chop pepper tops and sauté with onions & garlic. Stir together barley, black beans, and onion mixture; add in seasonings. Fill peppers, and place on grill over medium-high heat.
Cook until outside begins to char or bubble. Top with cheese of choice. (Veggie cheddar for me, real deal mozz for the husband.)
Since it’s physically impossible to grill without an adult beverage, I of course had one.
The peppers were served alongside some creamed corn. (For some reason the husband really wanted “creamy corn”. His wish is my demand. Trust me, it’s just easier that way.;)) [This was Green Giant’s version- good & fairly light too.]
It was definitely a bright & colorful dinner- and very good too!
These peppers turned out much better than my last attempt at stuffed peppers– although those weren’t bad- these were just better!
Now if only I can wiggle out a little room for a cinnamon roll dessert! 😉
