Vegan Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers

The verdicts

Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers any color
• 2 oz sundried tomatoes (about 1/2 cup packed)
• 8 oz cauliflower roughly chopped
• 4 oz walnuts (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 5 tsp taco seasoning store-bought or homemade
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add the sundried tomatoes to a small bowl with hot water to rehydrate them. Remove the stem and seeds from the bell peppers, and remove the pith (the white parts on the inside) as much as possible.
3. Saving the soaking water, retrieve the sundried tomatoes, roughly chop them, and add them to a food processor. Add the cauliflower, walnuts, garlic, taco seasoning, nutritional yeast if using, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Pulse the food processor until the cauliflower pieces are the size of grains of rice - about 20-25 times, scraping down the sides if needed.
4. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. When hot, add the mixture from the food processor and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes.
5. Add 1/4 cup reserved sundried tomato liquid (or water if you forgot...) and stir well, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat. Taste for salt, adding more as needed - I added 1/2 tsp more, but it depends on how much is in your taco seasoning.
6. Add the bell pepper halves to your rectangular baking dish and carefully spoon the filling mixture equally into them. Pour about 1/2 cup of water carefully into the bottom of the dish (not over the peppers), and add 1 tbsp of oil. Cover your baking dish with its lid or with aluminum foil, and bake for 25 minutes.
7. Remove the lid or foil and bake for another 4 minutes, or longer if you want the bell peppers to be more tender. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

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