Our 1 month holiday in Germany is slowly coming to an end. We have been here for 4 weeks, and have another few days to go. Every year, after being away for 3-4 weeks we crave our comfort zones at home, less excitement, no more family members to visit, and especially for me, no more heavy foods and cakes to eat on a daily basis. My body screams for veggies. Don’t get me wrong: I like German homemade food. In the end of the day, I cannot deny my German roots and the foods that I grew up on. But as I get older I cannot stomach them anymore. It’s been too many breads, potatoes, gravy and meats. So far I have been trying to keep control over the heavy foods by portion control. However, I can feel my system struggling with digestion. The foods seem to slow me down and make me tired. Time to go home.
Today’s recipe is two recipes in one post. The lentil pilaf is a meal in itself: wholesome and filling, full of spices and flavor, yet vegan, gluten-free and rich in proteins. Any leftovers are good to eat in stuffed peppers. Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite way of using up leftovers. It’s easy, doesn’t need a lot of attention and the freshly roasted peppers add some extra fruity freshness and lightness to a dish. This is exactly what I crave now. Can’t wait!

———————————————————————–

LENTIL PILAF – STUFFED PEPPERS
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
6 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup brown rice
1 cup mixed beans and lentils ( I used black eyed peas, green lentils red lentils and puy lentils)
1 cup mixed fresh vegetables (e.g carrots, cauliflower, peas, potatoes)
2 cups water
1/2 cup almonds roughly chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large red capsicum peppers
Serves 6

———————————————————————-
In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, fennel seeds, cloves and bay leaves and fry for a couple of minutes, until fragrant. Add chopped onions and cook until softened. Add the mixed lentils/beans and rice and stir until lentils and rice is well coated. Stir in the chopped vegetables, raisins and nuts and salt. Now add the water. Put on a lid and simmer over medium low heat until all liquids have been absorbed and the rice and lentils are cooked. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 180C/380F.
Prepare the peppers by cutting off the tops and de-seeding the insides of the peppers. Fill each pepper with the pilaf, and replace the tops. Place the filled peppers in a roasting dish. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until peppers are softened but still firm. Serve warm.

12 Comments

  1. Stuffed peppers is my favourite leftovers dish too! I usually use veggie paella or risotto so this pilaf would be a nice change!

  2. Love the alternative to ground beef (which is usually what we do!)

    So pretty! I just love healthy, colourful food! God was so creative when He invented fruits and veggies! 🙂

  3. I love Pulao varieties a lot. Lentil Pilaf is something interesting which I haven’t tried yet. We make another kind of rice dish with lentils, but it is quite different. Bookmarked 🙂

  4. This is a great alternate to stuff peppers.

  5. Cinnamon, raisins and almonds?! To die for!

  6. Just found your blog while looking for healthy, nutritious food, without sacrificing taste and appetite appeal. I am so glad I stumbled upon this beautiful site. I love the stuffed peppers and lentils is a fresh, new idea for me. Must try! Thanks for sharing. Will be back for more!

  7. I love peppers and lentils, so this is perfect!

  9. Quick question: what do you do with the two different water measurements? I may have missed it in the instructions, but I thought I’d ask!

    Thanks!

  10. @Kat
    sorry, my mistake. Only one measurement goes in. Will fix it right now.

  11. Me and my whole family LOVE this meal! I did not use lentil, only the black beans, carrots, onions, and I used pine nuts instead of the almonds. This is a KEEPER! Awesome! Very satisfying and delicious!

  12. These stuffed peppers looks awesome! where did you get that stunning recipe.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.