I’m very proud of this dish. ALL of the produce was organic. When I eat organic produce I definitely notice a difference. Organic fruits and vegetables have a fresh flavor that non-organic produce doesn’t possess. Whether it be the crunch of a pepper or the sweetness of a tomato you just can’t beet (bad joke) organic for freshness or flavor.

Last week I mentioned we were making a lacto-vegetarian dish this week. Lacto meaning containing some form of animal by-product milk/cheese.

This meal was so fresh and tasty. It was light yet filling. It was fresh yet hot and satisfying. If you are a Vegan, you could easily skip the cheese or use a cheese substitute in this dish.

Here’s a list of the organic ingredients and where we purchased them from:
1. Beefsteak tomatoes (Whole Foods)
2. Red Peppers (Whole Foods)
3. Purple Onion (Whole Foods)
4. Roma tomatoes (Whole Foods)
5. Fresh dill (Whole Foods)–this was the best and we got a huge bunch for $2.00.
6. Basmati Brown Rice (you can use white also) (Whole Foods)
7. Goat Cheese (Whole Foods)
8. Raisins (Whole Foods)

Here a list of non-organic ingredients and where we purchased them from:

1. Sugar, sea salt, pepper (Town & Country)
2. Parmesan Cheese (Costco)
3. Olive Oil (Costco)

This meal made 10 servings! I had either a stuffed pepper or tomato every day for lunch and Pete had the equivalent every day for dinner.

This dish requires some prep time because there are so many veggies to chop up. It’s worth it though. The most time consuming and yet the the most fun part was hollowing out the tomatoes. It’s kind of messy yet fun to see the inner workings of a tomato come out into a bowl. By the way, make sure to save the inner workings of the beefsteak tomatoes. That’s very important. Do not throw them away like I almost did!

Here’s a quote from the chef (my fiance Pete): “You may be tempted to, but don’t leave out the raisins, and in fact you may even want to add a few more. They and a sweet surprise that works well with the other flavors in this dish.”

Next week you can look forward to a possible vegan dish, possible lacto-vegetarian dish or veggie/omnivore dish with: Baked Zucchini with Potatoes and Carrots (we are adding a little cheese and some chicken).

If you’d like more information on that then you should check out the amazing cookbook written by my trainer and very good friend Anna O’Brien. Here’s her website for more information on how to purchase her cookbook entitled “Greek Cooking”: http://www.greekcooking.info/about.html.

Sara