Stuffed Peppers

As the coldness sets in, all we want to do is eat eat eat REAL food. I noticed that all the recipes I've posted thus far are for baked goods. Sweets are good and all, but what about the meals? Actual meals are very friendly towards all dietary needs because of their versatility. Bread crumbs that are called for in stuffings, toppings, etc. can be substituted with gluten-free breads or crackers. Now we have yet to find a good recipe for gluten-free french toast, but we have dinner pretty much covered. I recently made a very colorful dish for our friends--stuffed peppers. I took a recipe from the Internet and played around with it until it fit my vegetarian dreams and Dana's gluten-free needs.

Stuffed Peppers!

Various Colored peppers, cut in half (I used 8 peppers, which made 16 servings)

2 peppers, chopped

2-3 onions, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 c. grape tomatoes, halved

1 zuchinni, diced

1 summer squash, diced

1 c. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp parsley

1 c. frozen corn

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. of a mixture of the following spices: cayenne pepper, garlic/onion powder, oregano

salt & pepper

1. c Parmesan cheese (optional)

---saute the onion in the olive oil on med. high until translucent

---add garlic until fragrant

---add zuchinni, squash, diced peppers, corn; stir to mix for a minute

---add tomatoes and chickpeas and mix

---add seasonings

---fill peppers with as much of the stuffing mixture as you can handle (it may seem a little wet)

---bake at 375 until peppers are softened (about 20 minutes)

---if you want to add cheese, add it 5 minutes before peppers are done

enjoy! the colors were so beautiful

and also feel free to improvise! I've stuffed with rice, and you can also make pizza-esque ones with tomato sauce, ground beef and loads of cheese! They are so easy to make, and look so elegant when done