Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Mousse

I suppose, veggie stuffed peppers do require the right kind of stuffing to outshine traditionally stuffed peppers.  But, I think our bulgur wheat stuffing hits just the right balance of bright vegetable flavor and firmness.  The creamy avocado mousse with sun-ripened green heirloom tomatoes and lime takes this dish over the top, smothering the stuffed pepper in a decadent, but healthy cream topping.  Seriously, no cheese required!  Darn, that avocado mousse is dangerous... I could top that on just about anything that could do with a little cream.  Like I've said, it would go well with anything.





1 large Avocado

1 green Heirloom Tomato

1 Jalapeño Pepper;  de-seeded

1 Lime, juiced

Salt + Pepper to taste

2 large Bell Pepper;  capped and de-seeded

1 ear of Corn;  de-seeded

1 stalk Celery;  minced

1/2 cup homemade Vegetable Stock

1/2 cup Bulgur Wheat

1/2 cup Water

1 Tbsp. fresh Parsley;  chopped

 

P R E P A R A T I O N S

Prepare the Bulgur Wheat:  Warm 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of vegetable stock in a small pot. Add 1/2 cup of Bulgur Wheat and bring the everything to a boil.  At this point, lower the temperature to a simmer and cook until the Bulgur absorbed all the liquid.  Test for doneness.  It is done when the grain is soft but has a tender texture.

Set the oven to 350 ° F and roast the corn on a greased baking sheet.

In a medium size bowl, mix the parsley, celery and corn to the bulgur wheat.

Clean the peppers and carefully take their caps off by slicing with a pairing knife just around the stem.  Trim the seeds off the cap and then remove the rest of the seeds from the inside of the peppers.  I like to give the peppers a final rinse at this point in order to flush out every last seed.

Rub the inside of each pepper with olive oil and then sprinkle your favorite spice mix on the inside walls.

Carefully stuff the filling into each pepper and place them onto a baking or casserole dish.

Fill the baking dish about one finger high with water, cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 ° F.  I recommend removing the foil of the dish for the final five minutes of cook time to encourage browning of the peppers.

While the peppers bake, prepare the avocado mousse: wash and clean all produce before combining the avocado, heirloom tomato, jalapeño pepper, and lime juice into a food processor or blender. 

Blend until smooth and then season with salt, pepper and lime juice to taste.

To plate the pepper, spread one heaping spoon full of avocado mousse onto the plate and place the pepper on its side in the pool of mousse.


       Nina