Spicy Stuffed Peppers

Everyone knows there's a million ways to stuff a pepper. This time I switched it up a bit and didn't use any "sauce" or crushed tomatoes and added some crumbled tofu. The result was a light, yet filling and super easy dinner in under 40 minutes. Hope you like it too!

Serves 2 (whole pepper) or 4 (half pepper)

Ingredients:

1/2 C Rice (preferably brown)
2 bell or poblano peppers
1 cup black beans
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 chipotle pepper, diced (Wear gloves!)
2 serrano peppers, seeded and diced (Keep those gloves on!)
1 med onion, diced
1/2 Small block extra firm tofu, crumbled
10-15 Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 C Cheddar or pepper jack Daiya
2 tsp Chili powder, divided
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Garlic powder
2 tsp Paprika (I used sweet, smoked kind), divided
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBSP olive oil
Bread crumbs (I used panko)
1 med Avocado, sliced

Preheat oven to 350º

Cook rice as directed.
Add 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin and Daiya to rice and stir.

For the beans, saute diced onion over medium heat. Add black beans, tofu crumbles, crushed garlic, chipotle pepper and diced serrano peppers. Stir in 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1/4 tsp salt.

Slice bell or poblano peppers in half lengthwise, scrape out seeds. Stuff pepper halves with rice mixture then add bean and tofu mixture on top. Add some breadcrumbs on top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with sliced avocados on top. You could also use a plop of vegan sour cream or queso. We just ate the stuffed peppers, but you could always make a salad or some yummy corn on the cob as a side. Enjoy!