Meatless Meals: Tofu Stuffed Peppers

This weekend Davey and I went shopping for a new barbecue. We have been without a grill for over a year now and that is too bad because Dave used to barbecue all the time. It's one of the simple joys in a man's life, I think. A man, his barbecue, and a dog to play fetch with while sipping on some cold beer - any time of the year. Throw in a lightning storm and they are all set. We didn't get one because we are still trying to choose between the "nice" model and the "fancy-smancy" model. The "fancy-smancy" one has a built-in rotisserie. Ohhhh. That would make some nice chicken. Can we stick a block of tofu on there? I think the "fancy-smancy" model may interfere with my quest to become a healthy vegetarian.

Anyway, here is the Meatless Meal that I've got for ya' for this week: Middle Eastern Tofu-Stuffed Peppers. This was very good so I'll post the recipe...

Shopping List:

2 tsp. canola oil

2 lrg garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups onions, diced

pinch of cayenne

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 2/4 cups carrots, peeled and diced

dash of salt

1 c diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups tofu (frozen, thawed, crumbled)

3 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs dill, chopped (optional. yuk!)

1 tbs lemon juice

1/2 c couscous

1/4 c hot water

3 tbs raisins

4 lrg bell peppers

2 c tomato juice

Directions:

Warm the oil in a med. saucepan, add the garlic, onions, cayenne, and cinnamon, and saute for 3 minutes. Add the carrots, sprinkle with salt, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, until the carrots are just tender. Stir in the tofu, soy sauce, dill (i left this out), lemon juice, couscous, and water and cook on low to medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring often. Cover tightly, remove from the heat, and set aside. After about 5 minutes, add the raisins and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds but leave the stem ends on so that the peppers will hold their shape during baking. Fill each pepper half with about 1/2 cup of filling and place it in a nonreactive baking dish. Pour the tomato juice into the bottom of the baking dish, cover tightly, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

{Served on a bed of basmati rice with shavings of Parmesan cheese on top}

These are quite good. The whole family liked them and ate them as a main dish. Unlike the veggie lasagna I made last week - where the protein came from all the fattening dairy - this dish gets it's protein from the tofu. I've never used tofu frozen and crumbled before and that is genius! It really makes it blend into the dish without being even noticeable which is good for those who are scared, or not fans, of tofu. I'll have to try that trick more often. This also made for a very pretty presentation but I found that for reheating the next day in the micro. it's much easier to just chop the pepper up and mix it all together. I'll definitely make this again and if you are looking to drop some meat from your meals I would recommend this dish for sure.