Meatless Monday: Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love meat.

I love the flavor and

I love the texture meat gives my food.

Although I have enjoyed the three Meatless Monday dishes I’ve grilled so far, I’ve missed the meat. So this week I’ve decided to give a soy product a try. An “online” friend suggested a product called Soyrizo. I love good mexican style chorizo and was a little skeptical that a soy product was going to give me the flavor and texture I wanted. I never thought I’d have a product in my house that was labeled “vegan” let alone actually eat it and enjoy it. But the Soyrizo was very good. For those with delicate taste buds, beware, Soyrizo has a bite to it.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

4 Bell Peppers, tops removed and veins and seeds removed
11 oz Soyrizo sausage
2/3 stalk celery, minced
2/3 carrot, minced
1/3 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
2/3 (14.5 ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes, chopped (I used Rotel already chopped)
2/3 cup cooked long grain rice
Your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Jack Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions:

Pre-Heat your smoker to 300 degrees. If you are using a charcoal or gas grill set it up for indirect heat.

In a large skillet cook the Soyrizo until almost brown. (NOTE: Soyrizo doesn’t cook or brown like traditional Chorizo, so just make sure it’s heated through. Because there is no fat to speak of you’ll need to add some oil or butter to cook the veggies). Stir in the celery, carrots, onions and garlic and cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes with liquid. Add the cooked rice and remove from heat.

Fill the bell peppers with the Soyrizo & rice mixture. Leave about 1/4 inch unfilled in each pepper. Top the mixture with a little BBQ sauce.

Place the bell peppers in some type of dish that will handle the heat on the smoker/grill. I used a metal pie plate. Place the stuffed bell peppers in the smoker/grill and cook until the bell peppers are almost tender. Top each bell pepper with the cheese and continue to cook until the cheese is melted.

Remove from heat and let rest for five minutes. Serve with a salad or other side dish of your choice.

A few pictures: