Vegan stuffed peppers

I love stuffed peppers and, as I had a lot of fresh vegetables in the fridge, I decided to try a vegan recipe, filled with nutrients and vitamins. It was a huge success! The peppers turned out just amazing and they were highly appreciated by my little food critics.

Ingredients:

- 7 bell peppers;

- 2 spring onions;

- 1 carrot;

- 200g mushrooms;

- 1/2 cup red lentils;

- 1 cup integral rice;

- 5 cauliflower florrets;

- 1 courgette (cut in half, the inner part scooped and added to the filling, while the outer part will be filled);

- one handful chopped Swiss chard (or spinach);

- 4 Tbsp oil;
- 1 tsp turmeric; 

- 1 jar / can of tomato cubes or 5 fresh, very ripe tomatoes.

Add the finely sliced spring onions, grated carrot and finely chopped mushrooms to a pan, add 1/4 cup of water and 4 Tbsp oil and fry over medium heat for a few minutes, until the vegetables soften, Add the lentils and the rice, stir and let fry for a few minutes. Reduce the heat and add 1 cup of water. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer over low heat until the water is completely absorbed.
Add the cauliflower, inner part of the courgette and the Swiss chard, all finely chopped and 1/2 cup water. Let simmer a few minutes, until the water is absorbed. Add the turmeric, stir and remove from heat.

 Meanwhile, wash the bell peppers and cut a lid from the top (remove and discard the seeds). Place them in a large pot (they have to be tight so that they wouldn't fall while boiling), together with the halved, scooped courgette. Fill the peppers with the rice-lentil-veggie mix and add the "lids" on top.
In a bowl, mix 1 cup of water with 1 can of tomato cubes (or puree) and pour the tomato sauce over the peppers (you can use 5-6 fresh tomatoes instead, just put them in a food processor and blend until you get a smooth juice).
Put the lid over the pot and boil the peppers over low-medium heat for about 1/2h, until the peppers soften (check also the rice, if you use integral rice it might take a longer time to boil).
 Enjoy!