Stuffed Peppers

I found a recipe online for stuffed peppers online but it called for a pound of ground beef. To make them vegetarian, I substituted ground walnuts and they turned out really good. My husband loves these and I like them much better than I thought I would! Next time I make them I’m going to tweak the recipe a bit more (I think it would be good with wild rice), but for now, here’s my recipe for stuffed peppers.

• 1 1/2 c cooked brown rice
• 4 bell peppers
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
• 1/2 c shredded carrots
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tsp dried
• 1 3/4 c raw walnuts, finely chopped
• black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1/2 c ketchup
• 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• dash of tabasco or cayenne (optional)

Cook the brown rice until it’s tender; doesn’t have to be completely done. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut about 1 inch off the top of the peppers, remove the seeds, and put them in the boiling water. Boil until they becomea brilliant green color (or red or yellow) and they are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in oil until translucent, add carrots, tomatoes and oregano and saute a few minutes more. Remove from heat and mix with rice, walnuts, salt and pepper. Stuff this mixture into the peppers, arranging them cut side up in a baking dish. Combine ketchup and worcestershire sauce and spread this on top of the stuffed peppers. Add 1/4 c water to the baking dish and bake the peppers at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, depending on how large they are.