Vegetable Lentil Stuffed Peppers

Bon Apetit - Wishes for a hearty appetite and a glorious meal
-French saying

This recipe is made with French Lentils - one of my fave legumes. It’s also known as Slate or Puy Lentils. These lentils were originally grown in Puy (Le Puy-en-Velay) - a town in Southern France in the volcanic soil. Now they grow in Italy and North America but we honor where they come from therefore, it’s ‘French Lentils’ in my kitchen. They are petit and have a peppery flavor. As small as they are they retain their firmness after they are cooked.

Digestion - a topic and area in ‘foods for healing’ that holds my attention - Ayurveda’s perspective on French (Puy) Lentils get two thumbs up! They are sweet, astringent, light, easy to digest (less gassy than other legumes), calming for the body and mind, nourishing for the immune system and high in protein and fiber. They are tridoshic - say what??? That means all body types can enjoy these lentils with ease.

Lentils in general should be soaked before hand - one hour in a bowl of water is enough! Cook them well and add some olive oil, herbs and spices to make them even more digestible. Here I go again with ‘digestion’! lol. Add some ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, thyme… and you’ve got a relaxed mind and satisfied. tummy.

Slice the peppers in half so they resemble a bowl for your veg/lentil

1 1/2 tbsp oil
1 yellow onion chopped
1 cup mushrooms chopped
1 TBSP tamari or soy sauce
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
1?4 tsp basil chopped optional
2 cups baby spinach chopped
4 red, yellow or orange peppers (no green peppers - not ripe)
2 cups French Lentils soaked, washed, rinsed and COOKED
1/2 or whole juice of a lemon
garnish: avocado, scallions, parsley

-preheat oven to 425 degrees
-heat oil in skillet
-add onion sauce for 1 minute
-add mushrooms, tamari sauce for 2 minutes
-add garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne sauce for 1 minute
-add basil, spinach until wilted 1 minute
-add cooked lentils into skillet with vegetables, stir well
-slice the peppers in half to resemble a bowl
-fill each half pepper with stuffing until top and be generous
-place the stuffed peppers on baking sheet
-place stuffed peppers in a preheated oven - 425 degrees for 20 minutes
-remove from oven and they are ready to eat or shall I say devour - this dish is a gobble me up experience.
-drizzle with olive oil, avocado, parsley or scallions or pack it all on!
-serves 4

Mise En Place - to gather and arrange all ingredients needed for cooking

Much love and satisfaction,
Genia