Double Trouble: Running News & Vegan Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe

Running Update: So I have been making a slow return to running in the past couple of weeks, but I have kept it on the D.L. because I didn't want to jump the gun and declare victory before I was certain that my knee was on the path to recovery. I have had two solid weeks of running under my belt, with quite a few 7 and 8 mile runs thrown in there, and I am beyond thrilled to say that my knee is handling it fantastically. Granted I am much slower than I was (think 9:30 or 10:00 minute miles compared to the 8:30s and 9:00s I was running before) it still feels simply amazing to be back to running out in the world! I am going to do a longer post about injury and recovery, but I just wanted to share the exciting news with everyone!

Recipe time: Stuffed Bell Peppers

Recipe Inspiration: I had a bunch of bell peppers sitting around that were on the verge of going bad, and I wanted to think of a recipe that didn't require me going to the grocery store. I wanted to make something comforting but not too heavy, and something that could be made in an hour or less. I finally decided on stuffed bell peppers......yum!

Nutrition Note: This is a delicious, comforting, and carb-filled meal that somehow manages to remain relatively light. I usually add lentils or white beans to the rice when I make this recipe but I didn't this time, but we had a lot of lentil soup left, so I figured that we could have that soup along with the meal for a complete protein.

This is what the mixture should look like before you
add the rice, tomatoes, and lentils. 

Ingredients: 
- 32 oz veggie broth
- 6 medium to large bell peppers
- 5 cups cooked rice
- 3/4 cups diced shallots
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 lb mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes

- 1/2 cup white wine

- 1/2 cup sliced almonds

- 2 cups cooked lentils **optional**

Directions:
1. Remove the top of the bell peppers and seed them.
2. Steam the bell peppers for 10-15 minutes or until slightly al dente, and set aside.
3. In a non-stick medium saucepan, cook the shallots for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. I added water as needed to keep them from sticking.

All done!

4. After 5 minutes, add the carrots, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan and continue to cook. Add water as needed, but the mushrooms will give off a lot of water so you may not need to add any.
5. Once the mushrooms are cooked down add the almonds, and the white wine. Continue to cook on medium heat.
6. Add the rice, tomatoes, and lentils (if you decide to use the optional lentils) to the saucepan, and mix the contents of the pan until everything is evenly dispersed in the rice. Continue to cooke for another 10-15 minutes.
7. Remove the rice mixture from heat, and fill each bell pepper with the rice stuffing.
8. Fill the same saucepan that you used for the rice stuffing with the veggie broth and heat until simmering.
9. Place all of the stuffed bell peppers in the veggie broth, and simmer on the lowest heat setting for another 15 minutes while covered.
10. Serve you delicious stuffed bell peppers!