Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is: gluten free, wheat free, corn free, soy free, nut free, egg free

Contains: beef, pork, rice, dairy

Alterations: This recipe is easily altered. To make the pepper dairy free just omit the cream and cheese ( I did this with the peppers I gave to my son and he said they were delicious), to make this recipe vegan or vegetarian substitute the meat and pork for kidney beans and soy ground.

1/2 cup rice
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/4 cup minced carrots
1/4 cup minced celery
6 red or green bell peppers
1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 lb lightly smoked bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce (I like Barilla mainly because they don't use soy oil)
1/4 cup red wine, Merlot makes a good pairing
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided

Preheat oven to 375. Cook rice.

Heat 1 tbsp in large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and celery, cook until tender. Add beef and bacon, cook until brown and crumbly. Drain fat. Add marinara sauce, wine and red pepper. Stir in cream, 1/2 the Parmesan and rice. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Cut tops off peppers, take out the ribs and seeds.Rub peppers with remaining olive oil. Fill with mixture and place in baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce into the bottom of the dish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Plate peppers and drizzle with sauce in the bottom of the dish..

curried lentils

This recipe is: dairy free, wheat free, GFCF, egg free, nut free, corn free and Vegan.

Contains: lentils, rice

This was so delicious! So good in fact that my husband, David, and I gobbled it down in record time. On the other hand it took our son a little longer to warm up to it. At first he proclaimed with great conviction that he didn't like it (before he'd even tried it) when I finally convinced him to take a bite he decided that it was "kind of interesting". Sure, it took a little coaxing but in the end he happily finished it and David asked why I hadn't made this sooner. In all a great success!!

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 piece fresh ginger (about 2 inches long), peeled and finely grated
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
coarse salt
1 15oz can tomato sauce
2 cans cooked lentils, rinsed and drained (or 1 package cooked lentils from Trader Joe's from the produce section)
juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
cooked basmati rice for serving
sliced tomatoes for serving (optional)
naan (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and ginger; season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add spices; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.

Add tomato sauce, lentils and about 1/2 cup of water. Simmer until slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. (If needed add more water.) Squeeze in the lime juice and cilantro; season with salt.

Serve with rice: garnish with sliced tomatoes and cilantro if desired.