STUFFED MINI SWEET PEPPERS WITH VEGGIES AND LEMON DILL CASHEW CREAM CHEESE FILLING

My boyfriend, who is a poker player, took these to the Bellagio for lunch, and apparently many players were intrigued. He had a few of the players try some, and it was a huge hit! It's always flattering when a bunch of guys enjoy my healthy dishes. It's at that point that I know I have hit a home run.

I personally really enjoyed those mini stuffed peppers as well. You see, I have a thing for dill.  I find it's unique flavor to be so wonderful. It's definitely one of my favorite herbs. However, it doesn't work with every dish as it is so distinct in taste.  But when it does, it brings that dish to a whole new level. It was perfect for this recipe as it mingled so nicely with the creaminess of the cashew cheese and the veggies. I will definitely be making it again in the very near future!

This is another easy raw food recipe. I did use the dehydrator for this dish, but if you don't have one, you can skip that step, and it will still taste great. I just find that the dehydrator makes the texture even richer, and it also warms the stuffed mini sweet peppers up a little bit, which is a nice touch. But the recipe works just fine without it.

I can see these mini stuffed peppers being served as hors-d'oeuvres (french for small sample of food) at a party, as an appetizer to a lovely dinner, or as a main dish with a nice salad.  I guess they fall into many categories. Talk about a versatile dish. ;)

STUFFED MINI SWEET PEPPERS WITH VEGGIES AND LEMON DILL CASHEW CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Ingredients:

16 oz mini sweet peppers (about 20-25), cut in half lengthwise and seeded

1 1/2 cups of raw unsalted cashews, preferably soaked in water for 2 hours to overnight

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1/2 cup of water

2 green onions, sliced very thin

2 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 celery stalk, chopped very small

1/4 zucchini, chopped very small (1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon flax seeds, grounded (you can use the coffee grinder to grind them)

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

To make the cashew cream cheese using a high speed blender, simply put the cashews, the lemon juice, the garlic, the nutritional yeast, and the water together, and blend until extremely smooth. 

Transfer to a bowl, and add the green onions, dill, carrot, celery, and zucchini.  

Season with sea salt and pepper, and blend well with a spoon or spatula.

Fill the mini sweet pepper halves with the cream cheese mixture.

Sprinkle a little bit of flax seeds on top of each stuffed mini pepper, and place them on a dehydrator rack, cream cheese facing up.

Dehydrate for 1 hour at 110 F.

This will make 4 servings

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