Enchilada Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Cream

July 13, 2015

These Vegan Enchilada Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Cream are packed with protein and fiber for a delicious and healthy meatless meal the whole family will love!

Never have I ever stuffed a pepper.

It’s a darn shame, because they’re so stuffable. Like, they’re hollow. It’s kind of bizarre. What a waste of precious pepper space.

HELLLOOOO. IS ANYBODY INNNN THERRREEEE.

Oh hi, seedy pith. Let’s throw you in the garbaahhhge and replace you with creamy dremy enchilada filling. Because how much better does that sound than…air?

I tried really hard with every inch of my brainsicle to think of a corny yet funny one-liner for the beginning of this post. Want to know why? Because when I made this recipe I actually forgot the corn. Is the irony killing you?

Thus the pepper is not corny. And neither is the joke I couldn’t think of.

This recipe was birthed when my roomie stuffed the filling of my beloved lentil & kale enchiladas into peppers rather than tortillas. A genius, that woman is!

So naturally I was going to tweak the greens and beans in that recipe, stuff it in a pepper, and call it a recipe, but my creative juices got the best of me. I didn’t want the filling to be mush (AKA enchilada filling), so I blended the raw cashews with the enchilada sauce and some peppers rather than blending all the ingredients together. Now we have a decadent creamy sauce (that’s secretly healthy) plus some much-needed texture from the beans, veggies, and quinoa.

Since I’m playing the clean out your freezer/pantry/fridge game for the big move, I threw a handful of veggies in these including frozen spinach, corn (at least I meant to), and sweet potatoes. Feel free to toss in a handful of fresh spinach or cilantro, too.

The more veggies, the merrier! [Insert corny joke here.]

Enchilada Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Cream

★★★★★ 5 from 8 reviews

Author: Alexis Joseph, MS, RD, LD
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Entree

Description

Dairy-free stuffed peppers loaded with veggies and creamy cashew enchilada sauce.

Scale

Ingredients

For the stuffed peppers:

1/2 cup cashews
8oz red enchilada sauce (I love Frontera)
4 large bell peppers
2 cups frozen spinach, thawed + water squeezed out
1 heaping cup cooked quinoa (I used frozen)
1–15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grated sweet potato (about 1/2 medium sweet potato)
1/2 cup chunky salsa (I love Frog Ranch medium salsa)
1/2 cup corn
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne

For the avocado cream:

1 avocado
juice 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray an 8x8in baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Place cashews in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside.
Trim the tops off each pepper (try to cut near the top) and gently remove the white membranes inside the peppers. Save tops. Place peppers cut side up in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, gather the tops of the peppers and chop leftover pepper (excluding stem) into small pieces. Set aside 1/2 cup and discard the rest.
Drain cashews. Place in blender/food processor (I used my Nutribullet) with enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup chopped peppers. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
In a large bowl, combine spinach, quinoa, black beans, grated sweet potato, salsa, corn, salt, garlic powder, cumin and cayenne, stirring to combine. Stir in cashew enchilada sauce.
Divide mixture evenly into bell peppers. Bake for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the avocado cream ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Drizzle over peppers prior to serving.