Whether you want a quick meal, a nutritious dinner, or a heart-healthy dessert, The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook by acclaimed chefs and health advocates, Jenneffer Pulapaka and Hari Pulapaka offers over 100 meticulously crafted recipes designed to lower blood pressure, reverse heart disease, and support cardiac recovery. Enjoy one of the recipes featured in the book, below.
Brown Rice Stuffed Pepper Recipe
Serves: 4
Ingredients
4 large yellow or red bell peppers, cored
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 shallot or small red onion, minced
1 cup kale, chopped finely
1 jalapeno, chopped finely (optional, use as much as you desire)
2 sticks celery, chopped finely
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
¼ cup Macadamia nuts or almonds, chopped coarsely
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 lemon, zest and juice
Black pepper, as desired
Directions
- Cut across the pepper at the stem end and carefully scoop out the seeds and excess pulp. This constitutes the cap of the finished dish. Retain the stem of the cap for a nicer presentation.
- In a bowl, mix the brown rice, shallot, celery, kale, jalapeno, parsley, nuts, vinegar, lemon juice and zest, and black pepper. Essentially, this is a brown rice salad. Taste it and adjust acidity and other flavors.
- Fill each hollowed out pepper with the brown rice salad.
- Place the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet, replace the cap, and roast in the oven at 350°F for 45 minutes. Allow the roasted peppers to cool a bit.
- Serve as is or with a side salad.
Heart Health Note: Capsicum annuum encompasses a wide variety of shapes and sizes of peppers, including sweet bell peppers, a few chili peppers, New Mexico chili and cayenne peppers. All have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities beneficial in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Jenneffer Pulapaka, DPM, is a Board-Certified podiatric surgeon and a certified sommelier. Hari Pulapaka, PhD, is a four-time James Beard Award semifinalist and a certified executive chef. Together, they bring a unique blend of culinary expertise and medical knowledge to create recipes that are not only delicious but also scientifically designed to promote heart health.
