Presto chango, rearrango!

One night I had raw pizza, and abracadabra, I later had a stuffed green pepper.

That’s the magic of leftovers; you can either consume the same thing night after night, or give them new life by transforming them into something different.

I do this all the time, mainly because I hate to waste anything. I actually come up with some of my best recipes, while rummaging through the kitchen to see what I have remaining before my next grocery run.

If you read my blog, you already know about the top-your-own pizza slice night (I actually shaped the crust into individual slices, instead of cutting them) my hubby and I had last week. When we were done, I found myself with a surplus of toppings, like “pepperawni” (I came up with a raw vegan pepperoni that I later finished off on some little cucumber sandwiches and in a pizza rice bowl), Italian “rawsage” crumbles (I used this recipe), green peppers, onion, mushrooms, tomato sauce and “cheese.”

What was I going to do with all these toppings and no more crust?

My first instinct was to make French bread-style pizzas, using zucchinis as the base, but that would just be too boring. So, instead, I opted to whipped up some traditional stuffed green peppers. You know; like the ones your mama used to make.

And what goes great with stuffed peppers? Stuffed cinnamon apples for dessert, of course.

So, pull out your leftovers, get out your wands (or in this case, spoons?) and let’s make some makeover magic.

Remakeable Stuffed Green Peppers

• 2 hallowed out green peppers
• ½ cup sprouted rice
• ½ cup leftover Italian “rawsage” or your favorite walnut/pecan meat
• ½ cup diced mushrooms
• ¼ cup diced green pepper
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• ¾ cup leftover tomato sauce
• generous drizzles of leftover pizza “cheese”

Combine rice, “rawsage,” veggies and tomato sauce (1/2 cup soaked sun-dried tomatoes, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or a couple soaked dates, a drizzle of olive oil or a few olives, garlic, oregano, basil, sea salt and pepper, pureed in blender) in a bowl.

Stuff mixture into hallowed out green peppers, and “bake” in dehydrator for about 8 to 10 hours. It’s like a classic crock-pot meal, where you toss everything in before leaving for work and it’s ready for dinner when you get home.

Drizzle the tops of the “cooked” peppers with leftover pizza “cheese” (1 cup soaked cashews, 1 cup soaked macadamia nuts, ¾ cup water, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, garlic, oregano, basil, sea salt and pepper), and serve.

You can make this dish to suit your own tastes. If you don’t like the rice, put in more “rawsage” or walnut/pecan meat. If you want to lighten it up a bit, use more veggies and eliminate the rice and “meat.” You could even substitute cauliflower or parsnip “rice” for the sprouted rice. It all depends on what’s leftover in your fridge. It’s your magic trick.

And now every magician needs an assistant, so I give you the apple sidekick.

Stuffed Cinnamon Apple Sidekicks

• 2 hallowed out gala apples (I use a melon-baller for this), reserve the “guts”
• ½ of a granny smith apple, peeled and cubed
• a handful of golden raisins (but any raisin will do, preferably organic)
• generous drizzle of agave nectar
• a little vanilla
• dash of sea salt
• some apple or pumpkin pie spice (whatever you have on hand)
• a handful of chopped pecans
• 2 cinnamon sticks

This is how I usually make things. I only recently started measuring, so I could share recipes with you. Now is the time to conquer your fears, and if you don’t usually uncook this way already, give it a try.

In a food processor or blender (I used a blender), marry together the leftover apple guts (I told you I don’t like to waste things, but in this case, make sure you discard the seeds), granny smith apple cubes, raisins, agave, vanilla, sea salt and spice, so it resembles a chunky applesauce. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Stuff this mixture into the hallowed out apples, and place a cinnamon stick in the center of each one. “Bake” in your dehydrator, along with the peppers, so they are ready in time for dessert.

Now, how do I accomplish this with my old school round dehydrator?

I get asked this all the time, so I’ll show you. I just put the peppers and the apples into deep containers and place the dehydrator lid on top. I’m sure it is much easier in an Excalibur, but until I invest in one myself, this works for me.