Mexican Bean-Stuffed Peppers

I seem to be continuing with the retro recipes. This one comes from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, which, as I see from the inscription, my cousin Cate gave me in 1987. I know for a fact that this book has traveled to Germany and back at least once, and now it's here with me--and there are still recipes I haven't tried. I liked this one--it's hearty but still has some good texture interplay, and if you leave out the cheese/sour cream thing (maybe top with avocado?), it's vegan.

The recipe recommended serving this with rice, but I didn't think that was necessary. Bulgur might also be nice if you want to be really healthy...

Mexican Bean-Stuffed Peppers

First, make a bit of a cooked salsa thing. Get out a food processor and put in it:

1 large can whole tomatoes, juice and all

1 bell pepper, green or red, seeded, cored, and coarsely chopped

(1-2 jalapeños, if you have them lying around, also cored and perhaps seeded)

1 onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 chipotle chili

2 t. cumin

2 t. coriander

2 t. salt

Whiz that all together until it's pretty much smooth. Put it in a pot over medium heat and let it bubble away for an hour or so. If you don't have time for this foolishness, you could just use salsa or even enchilada sauce. Your call. Now we'll stuff some peppers.

1 large onion, chopped

2 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 t. cumin

2 t. coriander

1 t. ancho chile, if you've got it

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 large tomatoes, chopped (I used a basket of cherry tomatoes, quartered)

2 c. corn (I used a can of corn--I'm sure frozen or fresh would be better)

2 cans pinto and/or kidney beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed up with a fork just a bit

2 T. soy sauce (that's how you can tell this is a Moosewood recipe--leave it out if you like)

6 bell peppers--you can buy two of those "stoplight" packs

Grated Cheddar/Jack/pepper jack and/or sour cream and/or avocado

Get out a 13x9-inch pan and oil it. Put about a cup of the salsa you just made in the bottom of it. In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the salt, pepper, and spices and garlic and sauté another minute. Add the tomatoes, corn, beans, and soy sauce, and heat until it's all hot. Take off the stove and get your peppers ready: cut them in half lengthwise, core and seed them. Fill each one with the bean mixture (I had way more beans than peppers; oh, well) and put into the pan that you've put salsa in. When all your peppers are lined up, cover the pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and everything is nice and hot. Garnish the peppers with cheese and/or sour cream and/or avocado and enjoy a taste of the 80s.