Vegan Mofo! Spooky Stuffed Peppers!

Let's take a break from the Keys and our honeymoon for a bit and talk about something a little more festive for this time of year... how about some Halloween inspired stuffed peppers?

oooo...spooooky....

We saw these adorable little guys floating around the web last week, but just a picture, no recipe- so of course, we created our own!

They were so much fun to make and a little easier than carving a whole pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern. So our suggestion if the carving mood strikes before it's quite time- use this recipe as a delicious and unique hold-me-over. Not to mention something super different to serve your dinner guests!

You will need:
8 orange (or yellow) bell peppers
4-6 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
1 box of pearled couscous
1 bag Boca crumbles
1 jar of marinara sauce
1 bunch of kale
salt
pepper
dried seasonings (basil, oregano, garlic powder)

What to do:

Start by heating a medium skillet to medium-high heat and adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Chop 4-6 cloves of garlic, crush, and add to heated pan.

Next, chop both onions and add to pan.

Take your bag of crumbles and pound on counter a few times to break up large pieces. (You may even consider taking the bag out a few minutes before starting your cooking process to lightly defrost and make the crumbles easier to cook with.)

Cook together, adding salt, pepper, and other dried spices (basil and oregano would be great here) as desired.

Next, get out your pearled couscous (that's the larger ball kind) and prepare it according to directions. We went with the original plain flavor and it worked really well, but you can go with whichever you'd prefer.

Now, your crumbles should be getting nice and cooked. Add 1 jar (24-26 ounces) of pasta sauce to pan and continue to cook, adding more spices as desired.

As everything cooks start cutting the tops off your peppers, just as you would a pumpkin, and hallow out the insides. We found that just pinching and pulling away the thin white parts and then shaking/lightly pounding the seeds into your hand works best. Try to get all the seeds out if possible.

Now, it's time for the design portion of this recipe! Using a pairing knife, carefully carve faces into the hallowed peppers. We gave each on of ours a different look ranging from cute to totally spooky!

Try to avoid making the mouth too large (or try to block the large mouth with staggered teeth). As you'll notice in one of the later pictures the stuffing will start to spill out- giving the illusion that your little pepper friend may have gotten a little queasy at some point. 

If that's what you're going for though, then by all means, do it! Anything goes this month!

Next, take out your bunch of kale and a large mixing bowl. Shred the kale into pieces that are about the size of a quarter to half-dollar until they fill the bowl. 

Preheat oven to 350F and get out a large baking sheet. 

Now, pour the sauce and crumble mixture right on top of your kale shreds and lightly mix. The heat from the sauce should begin to reduce the height of the kale. Add the couscous next and any additional seasonings. 

Mix filling together well in bowl.

So now, fill each pepper with stuffing to a point of overflowing and then set the stem portion on top. (Lightly, do not jam on. Height will reduce as it cooks.)

Set those little guys on the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Then let set for a few minutes before serving with a knife and fork. 

Our guests love this dish! Not only because of the blend of flavors but also because of the presentation. We really got some great reactions. 

This is also a great way to sneak some kale into a dish for those dinner guests or family members who are not huge fans of greens.

These spooky stuffed peppers certainly got us in the mood for some more Halloween themed dishes! Hope everyone's October is going splendidly! We're half-way through MoFo month already, can you believe it?

More recipes and reviews from our honeymoon in the Florida Keys coming soon!

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies