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Mom's Stuffed Bell Peppers

Author Tiffani

Ingredients

For the peppers...

  • 5-6 bell peppers any color — I like having a variety, but orange were my favorite!
  • 2 1/2 cups riced cauliflower one small head was more than enough
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils I bought *pre-steamed lentils from Trader Joe's
  • 1 1/4 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • oil of choice for cooking — I used olive
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • dash cinnamon

For the Cashew Sour Cream...

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked for 8 hours
  • 1 Tbsp water or more as needed (I ended up adding a little more to get things to blend well)
  • 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

  • Slice the tops off the bell peppers and remove all seeds and fibers from the inside. Place a large pot of water on the stove at high heat. Once boiling, add the peppers and par boil for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the peppers from the water and set aside.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil until the onion is starting to look translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower to the skillet, stir, and cook another 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir the tomato sauce into the skillet, cover skillet with a lid, and turn down heat to medium-low. Leave at a light simmer for another 6 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Remove lid from skillet. Stir in lentils and spices. Remove from heat.
  • Lightly oil the bottom of a baking dish large enough to fit all of your peppers. Fill each bell pepper with your cauliflower and lentil mixture. Once stuffed, place each pepper into the baking dish and cover them with aluminum foil. Place on the center rack of your oven and bake for 50 - 60 minutes. Make sure the bottoms can be easily peirced with a fork before removing them from the oven.
  • While the peppers bake, make your Cashew Cream Sauce. Place all ingredients into the food processor and them let mix until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. This should take several minutes. If you seem to have trouble getting it creamy, add a little more water. Once cream is made, transfer it to a small sauce pan.
  • Right before serving, heat Cashew Sour Cream over medium heat, stirring constantly until warm. Turn off heat and scoop a dollop of cream on top each bell pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

If you love these as I do, please take a picture and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis, or leave a comment or review on my Veggies at Tiffani's Facebook page. 
*The lentils I buy from Trader Joe's are French lentils. The packaging specifies that they, "May include gluten," which I assume would be from cross contamination of used equipment. These don't bother my husband, but if you have an extreme allergy you probably want to steam your own. Canned lentils may be used, but make sure to rinse them well before using.