Earlier this week I introduced you to the Lachere family of seven, who were hard at work making important changes to their diet. Although they had made the shift to an all fruit breakfast and plant based lunches with ease, the evening meal was still a struggle. With five children longing for their family favorites that all happened to be dairy and meat centered, mom Molly struggled for ideas. When she asked for help I suggested she enlist the children to send me a list of their favorite dinner items and we would replace them one by one with plant based alternatives. Their requests included cream based soups, tacos, sandwiches, lasagna, casseroles, and stuffed peppers.
Highest on the list was the stuffed peppers so I decided that would be a good starting point. If I could win them over with a replacement for their traditional sweet peppers filled with rice, cheese, and ground meat, then I’d know we were on to something. Over the weekend I sent them this Quinoa Stuffed Pepper recipe by Detoxinista to test.
Ingredients
½ cup dry quinoa
1 cup water
4 bell peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds & white pith removed
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 4 ounces)
1 zucchini, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can white cannelloni beans (about 1½ cups cooked beans)
1 cup marinara sauce, plus more for serving (homemade or purchased)
Sea salt and black pepper
The Lachere kids were on it and all five joined in on the project. Even one year old Annaleise took part in the testing of a blended version!
Hearing the feedback, I’d say the finished results were a hit all around and these Stuffed Sweet Peppers start off the new list of Lachere Family Plant Based Favorites. Here are some other recipes I shared with the Lachere family and they plan to test a new one each week.
We’ll be checking back in with them in a few weeks to see how they have fared. So stay tuned!