Double Stuffed Peppers

Last week, I got three giant bell peppers from the farmers' market; when P brought home our CSA vegetables, he informed me that there were three tiny bell peppers in our share.  Instantly, an idea hit me -- I double stuffed peppers.  I was going to stick those cute tiny peppers inside the giant peppers like Russian nesting dolls.

I didn't have a chance to make the double stuffed peppers (or, as P likes to call them, stuffed pepper stuffed peppers) until tonight at my dad's house, but I have been thinking about them all week.  Let me tell you, it was worth the wait.

The big peppers were stuffed with a mixture of diced jalepeno, soyrizo, brown rice, and spices.  The little peppers were inspired by jalapeno poppers, since they were jalapeno-sized bell peppers; they were filled with a combination of vegan cream cheese and vegan pepper jack, with a little surprise at the bottom -- diced jalapenos!  The mixture in the big peppers was quite spicy, so the cheese in the little peppers was there to cool things off -- which it did, along with adding a rich creaminess to the whole dish.

Once both mixtures were made, I filled the three big peppers with the soyrizo mixture -- pressing the mixture to the sides and bottom to leave a space for the wee peppers.  The remaining space was still a bit big for the little peppers, so I added some salsa into the holes before sliding the little guys in there.  The double stuffed peppers were then baked at 350° for 30 minutes.

While they baked, I got the side dishes ready -- refried beans and a lovely salad -- and made a lime vinaigrette for the salad.  The salad was dressed with a bit of salsa and the lime vinaigrette; the spiciness of the salsa worked really well with the acidity and sweetness of the lime vinaigrette, resulting in a super-delicious salad to go with the super-delicious stuffed-pepper-stuffed-peppers.

The only downfall of this recipe was that the peppers were SO stuffed!  One complete pepper, plus the salad, plus the beans, was more than any of us could manage to eat!  Which means that the downfall is really also a secret bonus, since we all have another pepper-half to eat tomorrow for lunch!  Woo!

Vegan Chorizo with Greens

For lunch today, I had my first ever reuben, courtesy of my bff Sarah. She made Vegan Dad's corned beef, we made vegan Thousand Island dressing, and bought some sauerkraut from the farmer's market. In general, I don't like salad dressing, I don't like swiss cheese, I don't like rye bread, and I don't like sauerkraut . . . but this sandwich was really, really good. P calls this the gin-and-tonic effect; gin and tonic are both pretty awful on their own . . . but magically, together, they form a delicious cocktail.

Anyway, I don't have a picture of this glorious masterpiece. It was exquisite looking, especially with the nice salad on the side made from lettuce, arugala, tomatoes, and scallions Sarah got from the farmers' market. Oh well. Instead, I have a picture of our rather unphotogenic dinner: vegan chorizo with kale and beet greens.

Just because something tastes good doesn't mean it looks pretty in a photo, as tonight's dinner will attest. I made a variant on the chorizo sausages from Vegan Brunch -- making them extra spicy! -- and sauteed the greens with two of the sausages. The greens and sausage mix were served over Spanish rice made with brown rice.

Something went wrong with the sausages while they were steaming, though, and they ended up much softer than they normally do. As a result, it was more the crumbly style of chorizo rather than the slicey kind. It still mixed up well with the greens though! P thought the sausages might've been a little too spicy; I liked them how they were, but I'll probably tone down the spice the next time I make them. There are still two more of these extra spicy, crumbly sausages to use up. I'll probably make some whole wheat pasta with kale and the other two sausages later this week!