Savory Solstice Millet Stuffed Peppers

by Maria Theresa Maggi on December 20, 2013

Savory Solstice Millet Stuffed Peppers

Even though I love dreaming up healthy alternative recipes for them, there has to be something to eat on the table besides the cookies. So here’s a festive holiday dish that’s bright and cheery to welcome the return of the light. With colors of flame and all the wonderful antioxidants that go with them. Light but filling. Healthy but tasty. And totally  gluten-free and vegan.

This dish comes together in a snap if you have Susan’s wonderful Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce on hand. There are many vegan cheese sauces out there, but this one’s extremely healthy and low fat, while still being full of good flavor and velvety texture. I had a hunch the particular texture of this sauce would be perfect for what I had in mind. Luckily, my hunch was spot on. (Of course it’s hard to go wrong with anything Susan dreams up, but here’s a new application for it that stands up well to being baked in the oven.)

Christmas was always Italian food when I was growing up: plates of antipasto, lasagna, bragioli (pounded, stuffed steak). Being vegan and mostly flour free sends me in search of innovative alternatives. These peppers side step any need for soy, noodles, or processed flour. even gluten-free flour. The peppers themselves lend an Italian flair, as do the optional pine nuts. And the cheese sauce tastes surprisingly decadent, despite its healthy profile. Though I’ll probably stuff some gluten-free large brown rice pasta “shells” with a white bean filling of some kind, serving these with them will make certain I get to keep eating some of my favorite nourishing whole foods as part of the week of celebrations.

Solstice is my perhaps my favorite day of the year. I love the beauty of Winter up north (at least in December I do–I’m not such a huge fan of it by early March) and the pause the sun makes before climbing higher again in the sky. But if you are “down under” you can still celebrate the sun with these bright and creamy peppers. If it’s too hot to turn on the oven, try making a salad of this dish to salute the sun at its highest point in the sky. Either way, your plate will shine with whole food goodness.

Maria (moonwatcher)

 

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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

1 jamie December 21, 2013 at 5:25 pm

These look delicious! I don’t have millett, but I have quinoa. I’m trying it this week!

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2 moonwatcher December 21, 2013 at 6:19 pm

Thanks, Jamie! Welcome. 🙂 I think these would be great with quinoa. Enjoy!

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3 Veronica December 22, 2013 at 10:19 am

I love stuffed peppers! I haven’t tried Susan’s cheese sauce yet, but I will soon – it seems like the perfect addition to the peppers.
I hope you had a good Solstice! I love your description of it- the pause of the sun, like it gets to take a deep breath and relax before getting back to work. 🙂

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4 moonwatcher December 22, 2013 at 7:39 pm

Hi Veronica! Me too!! I’m so happy you liked my description of the Solstice, and thanks for the good Solstice wishes. It was very peaceful and beautiful. Did you know that Solstice literally means “sun standing still”? That’s because it appears to be doing that before it appears to change direction in the sky. Pretty neat, huh? 🙂

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