Copy Cat in the Kitchen: Red Pepper “Sandwich”

Once in a while there’s a bout of spring cleaning here at VT HQ. The little pile on the giveaway table becomes a heap—the white elephant in the room. Things staffers squirreled away in their cubicles come back in circulation when cubicles threaten to burst with the leavings and debris of magazine production. Such was an advanced reading copy of Sarah Kramer’s Vegan a Go-Go! A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road. It’s a pocket-size book with travel tips and lots of vegan recipes that I brought to the Cat Cave awhile back.

So one recent Sunday, shortly before the rumblies in the kids’ tumblies came out, so did Vegan a Go-Go! Thumbing through the book I shouted out some possibilities to my better half (B1/2).

Stuffed bell peppers usually appear on our dinner plates every few weeks, so Kramer’s Red Pepper “Sandwich” recipe seemed like a winner. Most of the stuffing ingredients (rice, beans, nuts, olives) are sometimes eaten—and enjoyed—by the Copy Kittens. Better yet, save for the peppers and some parsley, we had most the ingredients in the Cat Cave. To get what we needed, Rambunctious 9-Year-Old Boy (R9B) and I took a walk to our second-favorite grocer.

The red-bell-pepper pickings looked as if the Earth shifted its axis when they emerged from the plant reaching for sunlight. These wouldn’t have worked well as stuffed peppers. Fortunately, Kramer’s recipe calls for the peppers to be halved top to bottom, so what I chose were suitable for supper.

Upon returning home, you could hear tummy rumblies echoing off the walls of the Cat Cave. The orneries crept in. Thankfully, the recipe came together quickly (no cooking required), and there was left over stuffing, perfect as a dip or spread. I put some crackers on the table for just that purpose.

Picky 2-Year-Old Girl (P2G) was happy to see the crackers. B1/2 asked for a knife so she could eat civilized-like.

“Just eat it like a sandwich,” I told her. Maybe a better suggestion would have been to eat it like a tostada.

R9B turned up his nose. “What is this?”

“It’s basically a stuffed pepper. You like stuffed peppers,” I said.

He took a mouse-size bite from a corner. He might have gotten half a grain of rice. He set the pepper back on his plate, got up, and made his way to the refrigerator. There were no histrionics. Maybe he’s maturing (!).

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Looking for leftovers.”

At least he’s semi-self-sufficient.

P2G asked for crackers.

“Eat your pepper, sweetie.”

Histrionics ensued. Conditions were set. Deals proffered. Crackers supplied. The uneaten pepper remained. I offered to eat P2G’s pepper. She had three crackers for supper. Oh, and some grapes.

B1/2 finished her own helping but described the flavor as flat. And she was hungry 10 minutes later.

I finished my helping. There were leftovers. I brought them to work for lunch the next day. Ate them all. And I was hungry 10 minutes later.

The Scorecard

Two clean plates out of four, but maybe these are better as snacks.