Hello and thanks for stopping by the Planet Forward blog on this Meatless Monday. We took the pledge to support this sustainable practice that promotes eliminating meat from your diet one day per week as a simple way to reduce meat consumption by 15% to improve personal and planetary health.

On the menu today, we will be making a delicious traditional meal made vegetarian and healthy. The website Sweetfit brought us this recipe for Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers that includes brown rice, wild rice and black beans. A perfectly balanced meal all in one sweet pepper now let’s get cooking.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Ingredients – serves 4

• 4-5 red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 14.5-oz. can stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 tbsp. black wild rice
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Cheddar cheese, sliced

Directions

1. First, microwave those peppers. If you don’t do it now, you’ll forget, and you’ll be sad when you sit down to eat!
2. Next, combine the rice, tomatoes, water, and cumin. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low until the brown rice is fully cooked. Because different types of brown rice have different cooking times, look on your package for instructions on how long to cook the rice. Mine usually takes 40-45 minutes.
3. Once the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed, add the beans and salt. Stir to combine.
4. Preheat oven to 400. Place the pepper halves open-side-up in a 9×13 pan. Divide the rice mixture among the peppers.
5. Add cheese slices to the top of each pepper. This is optional, but it’s my favorite part, so I wouldn’t skip it. However, if you have a dairy allergy, go ahead and make them without the cheese! Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
6. Serve with a fork and knife! We usually serve 2 halves to each person as a complete dinner.

You can also substitute the cheddar cheese for your favourite vegan version. Serve with a fresh green salad dressed in a light olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.

If you want to learn more about the sustainable Meatless Monday movement, please visit meatlessmonday.com.

Enjoy!

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