Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Step 1

Cook the quinoa in a pot with double the amount of veggie broth on medium heat until the water has evaporated, stirring well and often. Remove from heat and cover with a tea towel – the quinoa will puff out.

Step 2

In the meantime, dice the tempeh and stick it in boiling water for ten minutes. This will remove any bitterness, though you can skip this step if pressed for time.

Step 3

Then fry the tempeh in olive oil for about ten minutes. Add the spices (or fajita mix) and a tbsp or two of water.

Step 4

At the end of frying add the nutritional yeast and give it a good stir.

Step 5

Drain and rinse the sweetcorn.

Step 6

Clean the peppers and give the insides a quick scrape out. If the peppers do not stand up on their own, slice a TINY layer of the sticky-out bit off the bottom. Do not cut off more than you need to, you don’t want the contents of the pepper falling through.

Step 7

Get an oven dish and pour in the tomato passata. Mix in the sugar, salt and basil leaves.

Step 8

Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.

Step 9

Stand the peppers up straight in the passata in the oven dish.

Step 10

Put a tbsp of quinoa into each pepper, followed by a tbsp of tempeh, then a tbsp of corn. Squish it all down and add a final layer of tempeh, or any other ingredients you have left over. Squash them down again.

Step 11

Pop the tray in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes at 200°C/390°F. When ready, the tops should be browned and the peppers should look soft (a bit wrinkly).

Step 12

Serve in bowls with a dollop of sauce on top of each pepper, with more sauce around the outside. Make a final garnish of basil leaves.