Bell Pepper Boats
Whole foods can quickly go bad if you don’t use them. Meals like this are perfect to allow for creativity and using an array of vegetables. I created this meal with similar ingredients as my featured grain bowl recipe . This meal contains quinoa and lentils, both are a complete source of protein which is important for a plant based diet to receive all amino acids. Feel free to substitute any of the vegetables for any that you have in the fridge, don’t let your hard-earned money go to waste!
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INGREDIENTS
- 2 large bell peppers
- 2 carrots
- 1 tomato or handful cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
-1/2 cup lentils
-1/2 cup cooked quinoa (1/4 cup dry)
- 1/4 cup canned coconut milk or unsweetened regular coconut milk
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp black olive paste
- 1 tbsp black olive paste or 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar for acidity to help bring out the flavors.
Spices: recommend just a pinch of each if you are only making 1-2 peppers:
- Pink salt. Paprika. Chili powder. Turmeric.
Herbs: handful of each:
- Oregano. Basil
Would also be great with parsley!
DIRECTIONS
01. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
02. rinse the bell peppers throughly, cut the head and scoop out the inside, rinse again to get all seeds out. (OPTIONAL) Gently coat the peppers with some olive oil spray 04. Place bell peppers in for 20-25 minutes until skin is softened and the tips become browned.
05. Bring a cup of water to a boil and cook 1/4 cup dry quinoa following the box instructions. Make sure to throughly rinse the quinoa before cooking! Result should be a fluffy consistency of about 1/2 cup cooked.
06. Chop up your veggies finely.
07. Heat up a pan on medium heat and add olive oil and chopped onion to the pan. Let the onions cook for 2-3 minutes then add the veggies and pour coconut milk.
08. Add seasonings and herbs.
09. After about 5 minutes of cooking the veggies add the lentils and quinoa and cook until all liquid has reduced.
10. Once bell peppers are ready and so is your veggies, let the peppers cool for a couple of minutes and stuff those peppers up! Top with more basil or other herb of choice.
COMPLETE MEAL IDEA:
I love pairing almost every meal with a side of mixed greens.
- improves digestion
- added nutrients
- more filling
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Here was my finished meal!
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