SCRUMPTIOUS Saturdays: Almost-Vegan Stuffed Jalapenos

If I had left out the butter from the hash--a variation on my breadless stuffing from a some weeks ago--it would be certifiably vegan. Nevertheless, this is certainly a vegetarian hash-stuff, that goes well inside peppers. I'm still working on how to reduce the heat of the jalapenos...be careful.

Stuffed Jalapenos + 1 Anaheim Pepper

Equipment you will need: Several chopping boards, a large mixing bowl, a sharp knife for dicing vegetables and a narrow paring knife for hollowing out the peppers, a skillet, a wooden fork or spoon.

Ingredients you will need:

*Hash-Stuffing: 1 tart apple, diced; 1 small yellow onion, diced; 3 scallions, diced; 1 tbsp. fresh Rosemary; 2/3 cup diced tempeh; 1 quarter-cup oat-bran; 1 cup raw oats (steel-cut and/or flakes); 1/3 cup almond meal; 4 tbsp. melted butter; 1 1/2 cups diced, sauteed mushrooms, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. garlic powder (or two cloves pressed garlic); pepper to taste, 1 tbsp. chili powder.

*Peppers: 15 hollowed-out peppers (jalalpeno, green or Anaheim)

Notes: Try to find the biggest jalapeno peppers you can find; Anaheim chili peppers are bigger and will be easier to stuff. Green peppers are another option. Cut the tops off the peppers, and hollow out with a narrow, sharp knife, rinsing out the remaining seeds. Dice the mushrooms very fine, and saute them with butter in a skillet. Melt butter and mix in with remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make sure all hash ingredients are finely chopped and diced. Stuff hash into peppers. Bake in oven at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.

TIPS Tuesdays: Veggies Provide Form and Function - Wraps, Pockets, and Etc.

A major challenge to eliminating pastas and breads is finding food items that one can use, which provide the same form that these items do, i.e. pasta, crusts, wraps. Lettuce wraps have gained popularity as more Asian-food devotees spread the word about these. The tricks is finding the write lettuce--if not a stiff Iceberg leaf, try cabbage, which stands up to heat and moisture pretty well. Don't forget, red and green peppers can be stuffed with just about anything, and they hold up pretty well, and provide the 'bread-bowl' effect without the bowl.