iEat Green

Julie Negrin julie@julienegrin.com

Julie Negrin, M.S., is a certified nutritionist, cooking instructor, and author of Easy Meals to Cook with Kids. She has been teaching adults and children how to cook for fourteen years. Julie is currently working for The Sylvia Center as the Director of Education and writing curriculum for The Cooking Room. Julie spent five years as the Director of Culinary Arts at the JCC in Manhattan where she developed recipes and curricula specifically for children. She teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), Natural Gourmet Institute, Home Cooking New York, New York City public schools, and consults for not-for-profit organizations. She has appeared on Sesame Street and the Today Show with Al Roker.

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients

3 Tbs Olive Oil

8 large Sweet Bell Peppers (Green, Red or

Yellow) –

1 lb tofu, pressed and cut into tiny cubes

1 Tbs. chopped garlic

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped peppers

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup chopped dill

1 Tb. salt

1 t. paprika

4 cups cooked brown rice

1 can of black beans, drained

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup chopped Kalamata olives

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 Tbs. organic Worcestershire Sauce

3 Tbs. Tamari

Sauce

1 large can crushed tomatoes

½ cup tomato sauce

½ cup wine

½ cup water

½ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

3 Tbs. parsley

2 teaspoons garlic

3 Tbs. dill

Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove seeds with a spoon.  Chop 1 cup of peppers and set aside. Wrap the tofu in a clean dishtowel and lightly press, to remove excess water.  Cut tofu into tiny cubes, approx. 1/8” diameter. In wok or heavy skillet, heat olive oil. Add tofu and sauté 5 minutes, until golden brown on all sides.  Add 1-tablespoon garlic; continue sautéing for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the onions. When translucent, add the chopped carrots and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add peppers and mushrooms and continue sautéing for 5 more minutes. Add paprika, salt, parsley, and dill.  Add the rice, beans, tomatoes, olives, walnuts, Worcestershire Sauce and Tamari.  In Dutch over, combine sauce ingredients.  Fill peppers with rice mixture, and sit them facing up in bottom of pan.  Cover and bake for 1 1/2-2 hours, basting every half hour.