When life gets insane in the membrane, meals that are simple to put together and extra nourishing really make everything that much better.

I’m not going to lie, the last few weeks have been challenging for me. I’m adjusting to a new work schedule and I think I’ve spread myself pretty thin (just picture this: I work three jobs- not complaining, I love what I do- I’m planning a wedding that’s 2 months away, I still need to have the time to eat, sleep, cook, get mani pedis and enjoy summer).

Being human is a challenge sometimes.

Some days we sleep less.

Some days we eat less or more.

Balance is such an illusion. It’s not real. We can truly have it all but we don’t need to sacrifice it all in order to have it. I’m not a delusional holistic health guru. I exist in this real world. Sometimes there is no time to slave away in the kitchen and it is too damn hot to turn on the mother flippin’ oven or even stand near a stove and pizza sounds like the best option.

This recipe was born on a day it wasn’t too hot to put on the oven and I just didn’t want a ton of pots going at the same time. I just wanted to take what I already had in my fridge, put it together in a semi-cohesive, orgasmic, healthy dinner.

I’ve done this a handful of times over the last month or so and to be honest, it only gets more and more delicious (and random af).

Super Stuffed Peppers {Vegan, almost}

Serves 4

Total time: 45 minutes

What You Need:

• 4 to 6 orange or red bell peppers, sliced in half (seeds and stem removed)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cooked millet/quinoa/brown rice
• 1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup kale/rainbow chard, roughly chopped (remove the stem though)
• 1-2 medium sized summer squash or 1 sweet potato, chopped into 1″ cubes (or use both)
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1-2 tomatoes (depends on your love of tomatoes), diced
• 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil/olive oil
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Optional: 1/4 cup enchilada sauce (red sauce is always yummy) to mix in, 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley/cilantro, 1 to 1 1/2 cup of cheese (pepper jack is always good or try Field Harvest Chao Cheese Tomato Cayenne flavor)

How You Make It:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a deep baking dish, set up your peppers and set aside as you prepare your filling.
3. In a skillet, warm olive or coconut oil over medium heat. Sauté shallot and garlic until fragrant. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Add in sweet potato and squash (whichever you choose). Cook until soft.
5. Stir in tomatoes and kale and cook for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add in millet, black beans and season with hot sauce and herbs (if you like of course).
7. Scoop filling into each pepper half until stuffed (super super stuffed until it’s almost exploding).
8. Top with cheese if that excites you and bake for 30 minutes.
9. Serve with joy!

Honestly, this recipe is a great way to clean out the fridge, so add mushrooms or green beans or even eggplant. Whatever you have is perfect. Do what feels good! That should always be the primary intention.

Peace, love and NO Beef 😉

Guramrit