Vegan Stuffed Peppers - Israeli Style

Vegan stuffed peppers are colorful, tasty, and nutritious. I love this easy Israeli-style recipe that I originally tasted and then recorded when I visited my sister-In Law on our recent trip to Israel (June 2023). 

Stuffed Zucchini Squash- or Kousa Mahshi

Stuffed zucchini squash, known in the Middle East as kousa mahshi,  is traditional Middle Eastern dish that my mother-in-law used to make, and we all loved. Mahshi is a word used for any stuffed foods and kousa is an Arabic word for squash. Easy to make too.

Back From Vacation

I'm back from our 5 week vacation:  

We spent two weeks on a Mediterranean Cruise which had daily stops in ports in France, Italy and Spain, then we spent 3 days in Rome, and then flew to Israel for 2 weeks to visit family. 

It was a 13 hour flight from Tel Aviv to Miami so I'm totally jet-lagged and my post shows it. The photos do not match the story.

I promise to organize my photos for the next post!! 

We sailed on Celebrity Reflection cruise ship for a Meditteranean cruise  and was very pleased with the ship, the food, and the entertainment. 

Food in Israel - hummus with salsa and grilled eggplant ( Recipe to follow)

The cruise accommodated my special eating needs which included a strictly gluten-free diet along with my vegan diet (skip if you are not into what I was able to eat gluten-free and vegan)

What did I eat? 

Breakfast: 

I chose to go to the breakfast buffet most mornings where there was a gluten free section with bread, rolls, and muffins. I usually took the bread, got some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and capers. I asked for guacamole to spread on my bread and enjoyed the meal with a cup of dcaf cappuccino made with almond milk. 

Picnic in Israel on the way to Sefat an ancient town in Israel. My cousin packed the meal.

Lunch: 

Most of the time, we were out touring during lunch time and usually skipped lunch. 

However, when we would return to the ship around 4:00, there was always salad available and gluten-free pizza, GF bread, fruit, hummus, etc. 

Vegan stuffed peppers-  ( easy recipe to follow) from my sister in law

Dinner: 

We always ate in the dining room and I pre-ordered my meal the evening before. We requested anytime dining and  the computer always had my order. 

On the streets of Jerusalem in the old city. A peddler selling bread! Not gluten free!

Indian recipes, Italian recipes, and my favorite dinner was dish of tofu, rice, and vegetables all tossed together. It was so good, I ordered it multiple times. There was also gluten free bread at each meal as well as wine and gluten free dessert.

My cousin in Israel made these delicious vegan stuffed grape leaves

This is how it worked for dinner. The night before, I filled out a menu of what I wanted for the next evening from a list of choices. The Italian spaghetti dinners were just ok because I did care for the sauce- it reminded me of Campbell's soup. 

 More pastries on the streets of Jerusalem - not gluten free- The best place for gluten free was in Italy .

Israel: 

In Israel, we mostly ate in the house of relatives. My husband has 50 (maybe more) first cousins in Israel as well as 3 aunts. We stayed with relatives in Tel Aviv / Bat Yam area,  Jerusalem, Rishon and visited relatives in Sefat and Haifa. We stayed in a hotel in Tiberias with my husband's sister and her married children and grandchildren. 

I  was not "gluten-ized" until I ate in a restaurant in Israel. We were on the beach in Bat Yam (near Tel Aviv) and decided to eat in a very charming beach front restaurant. 

I asked the waiter if anything was gluten -free. 

He went into the kitchen and returned saying that the kitchen said adamantly not to eat anything on the menu because of cross contamination. 

But I thought. What could be in a plain salad? 

So I ate a salad and the was the first time in all of the travels that I had severe stomach pains and "Shil-Shul" (Hebrew for diarrhea) for about 2 hours- not fun!!! I should have listened!! Europe and Israel take gluten-free very seriously. 

Quinoa Vegan Stuffed Peppers

There is something about baked and stuffed sweet bell peppers that is extra delicious. In my home growing up, stuffed peppers were a dish that showed up on our dinner table about twice a month, usually accompanied by mashed potatoes. 

Stuffed Peppers - Vegan and Gluten Free

Stuffed peppers are impressive to serve, easy to make, and taste divine. Looking to eat less meat?  This vegan recipe will make a filling side dish ( Thanksgiving??) or you can turn it into a meal by adding the optional walnuts and or chickpeas. All of the ingredients that I use are naturally gluten-free too. 

Vegan Sephardic Shabbat Dinner

Tonight is Shabbat (our Sabbath begins) and I made a Jewish vegan dinner "Sephardic" Style. Our dinner may remind you of Greek or Arabic cooking and that is because my husband and his family came to the US from Egypt in August of 1966. The food that I cooked for tonight's dinner are recipes that I learned from my Middle Eastern mother-in law. Recipes included at the end of the post.

Lemony Greek Stuffed Tomatoes or Peppers ( Vegan)

Long before my recent trip to Greece, I had always loved and prepared Greek food such as these lemony Greek stuffed tomatoes (or peppers). I have been making them for years using my mother-in- laws recipe from Egypt. So many Greek and Middle Eastern foods are similar and are naturally gluten free.

I don't know why, but most Mediterranean countries notoriously like to stuff their vegetables. My mother- in-law (from Egypt) stuffs onions, grape leaves, squashes, peppers, and artichokes. Stuffed vegetables make an interesting colorful presentation for entertaining and can be used as a side dish or entree. Surprisingly, they are relatively easy to make.

I usually make this vegan recipe towards the end of the summer when peppers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs are seasonably plentiful. I like the contrast of  yellow peppers against the red tomatoes.It looks so pretty and colorful!

Greek stuffed vegetables are definitely crowd pleasers. The stuffing is almost always made with a significant amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice that cooks down in the tomato base to create a  sweet and tangy flavor that everyone seems to love. I added raisins to reduce the tartness of the lemon. These stuffed vegetables are light, tasty, gluten free, and vegan!  So enjoy!

A few photos from my trip to Greece!

Parthenon  ( Our trip to Greece 2009)

Ancient Greek Ruins ( Parthenon area) 

Greek windmill in a small village near Santorini, Greece

Typical Greek buildings, architecture and colors ( on the beach front)

Slice off the tops and hollow out the vegetables saving the inside of the tomato for the stuffing

Prepare and cook the rice stuffing separately

This picture shows the vegetables, stuffed but uncooked ( you can eat them this way or cook them)

Stuff the hollowed out vegetables

Cook in a Dutch oven pot in tomato juice, lemon and broth to soften veggies if desired.
Otherwise, you can eat the tomatoes or peppers raw- it's still good. 

Ingredients: 

Slice off top of 5 tomatoes and 4 peppers and hollow out ( save inside of tomato, chop and add to stuffing mixture)

Stuffing Ingredients
1 and half cups raw brown rice, washed and drained very well ( on Passover substitute raw washed quinoa)
2 1/2 cups onions, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic ( or more to taste) , chopped
1/2 red or green pepper, chopped
2 -3 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable broth to sautee oil-free
5 additional tomatoes, chopped and use any juice that accumulates when cutting them 
1/2 cup dark raisins
2 Tbsp dried thyme ( don't omit)
Chop any fresh herb you have ( oregano, thyme, basil, ) one tablespoon of each
2 cups tasty vegetable broth.
1/4 -1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, (optional, but delicious)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 
On low heat, slowly saute onions, garlic, brown rice and chopped yellow pepper  in olive oil or vegetable broth for oil-free for  5-7  minutes in a large skillet, stirring frequently until onions are soft but not browned.  Add chopped tomatoes, raisins, dried thyme and lemon juice and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add broth, salt and cracked pepper if desired and any additional fresh herbs. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and continue to cook on low until rice is soft . When you turn off the heat, leave the lid on to steam for about 15 more minutes . Uncover and  toss in toasted pine nuts ( optional)  Then stuff the peppers and tomatoes.  ( you may have stuffing left over . Stuff more vegetables or just eat  the leftover rice as a delicious side dish.

Cook the peppers and tomatoes or if you like, the peppers and tomatoes can be served raw just the way they are!  - (I prefer to cook them.)

To cook the stuffed peppers and tomatoes: Spray  a Dutch oven with cooking spray. Place stuffed tomatoes and pepper  in the plan. Turn on med heat and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice,1 cup tomato juice, and 1/2 cup broth. Cook uncovered in the juice for 5 minutes on medium basting peppers with tomato and lemon sauce.   Cover and cook an additional 10-15 minutes until peppers and tomatoes are soft. Remove tomatoes earlier if they start to get too soft.
** note: If you use a large pepper, cut in in half to serve 

Sometimes I stuff small mini peppers too


What type of stuffed vegetables do you make? What is your favorite Greek Food?

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