Stuffed Orange and Red Bell Peppers

Recipe excerpted from Ageless Vegan: The Secret to Living a Long and Healthy Plant-Based Life by Tracye McQuirter, MPH with Mary McQuirter. Copyright © 2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This dish was inspired by the delicious stuffed peppers we ate when I was growing up. This updated recipe uses a medley of wild rice, zucchini, walnuts, and currants for the filling and a cashew butter—based dressing on top. It's a great example of Health Is in the Hue because it contains antioxidant-rich foods in a variety of health-promoting colors.

INGREDIENTS - FILLING

• ¾ cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 small zucchini, grated (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
• ¼ red onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
• ½ cup currants
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 large red bell peppers, cut in half and seeds removed
• 2 large orange bell peppers, cut in half and seeds removed

INGREDIENTS - SAUCE

• ¼ cup cashew butter
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped curly parsley
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 small cucumber, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

DIRECTIONS - FILLING

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Place the uncooked wild rice in a fine strainer and rinse. In a large pot, boil 4 cups water and the rice. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes and check for doneness. Some varieties of wild rice take longer to cook than others. The rice should be tender but still chewy, with some of the grains open. If not done, cover and continue simmering for another 10 to 15 minutes, if necessary. Once rice is done, drain off any remaining water.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked wild rice, zucchini, walnuts, onions, currants, oil, salt, and pepper.
5. Stuff the bell peppers with the wild rice mixture and place on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.

DIRECTIONS - SAUCE

1. In a blender, combine the cashew butter, lemon juice, ¼ cup water, tahini, garlic, nutritional yeast, parsley, mint, salt, cayenne, and pepper.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Stir in the cucumbers.
4. Serve stuffed bell peppers with the cucumber sauce on the side.

Photo © Kate Lewis