Vegan Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers

Even your meat-eater will love this satisfying vegan dish. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner.

• 6 red bell peppers
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 ½ cups black beans, rinsed and drained well
• 1 cup white corn, frozen
• ¾ cup salsa
• ¼ cup chopped, cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup prepared guacamole

Rise bell peppers. Slice off the top of each bell pepper, and set tops aside. Gently remove seeds and white membranes; keeping the bell peppers intact. Place the cored red bell peppers in a large pot and fill with water. Place the pot on the stove, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook the bell peppers, until softened, about 20 minutes. While the red bell peppers are cooking, dice the green bell pepper and remaining edible portion of the tops of the red bell peppers.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chopped bell peppers in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients, except for the guacamole, and stir gently until combined. When the red bell peppers are softened, drain, and place each on a large rectangular glass baking dish. Using a spoon, stuff each bell pepper with the filling. Place the extra filling around each bell pepper. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

To serve, place a bell pepper on a place, add a few shakes of salt, and top with a dollop of guacamole. You can also serve alongside with tortilla chips, and/or add sliced black olives, or sliced jalapeno peppers (if you like it extremely hot).

To make it easier to eat, I cut the bell pepper down the middle. Then I cut the red bell pepper into bite-size pieces. Lastly, I’ll add a heaping tablespoon of store-bough guacamole.

Serving: 1 stuffed red bell pepper