Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I’ve been dying to try quinoa stuffed peppers ever since I came across this recipe on pinterest.  This one looks amazing, but I was really in the mood for a more southwest/Mexican style recipe, so I did some googling and found this great recipe that I used as the basis for my recipe.  Since I was serving mine with a black bean and corn salad, I decided to omit them from the peppers.  That’s the great thing about stuffed peppers; you can make them to really suit your own preferences!  I also wanted to be able to make extra quinoa to have with throughout the week that would have a milder flavor to go with various other things. You could easily modify the recipe to make just the 2 peppers, or use the same recipe and just use more peppers.  For each whole pepper, you will need about 1-1½ cups of the quinoa mixture.

A few notes about quinoa:

• Quinoa is technically a seed, but often referred to as a whole grain.
• It is a complete protein with all the essential amino acids, making it a great part of a vegetarian or vegan diet!
• It is similar to rice in texture, flavor and cooking technique, and they can be easily substituted for each other in many recipes.
• As a general rule of thumb, 1 cup dry quinoa yields approx. 3 cups cooked.
• When cooking quinoa, use 2 parts liquid (water, chicken or vegetable broth, etc.) to 1 part dry quinoa.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Yield: 2 medium peppers, plus 4 servings of leftover quinoa

Active time: about 15-20 minutes.

Total cook time: about an hour.

The Food:

2 medium bell peppers – (red, yellow, or orange will be sweet; green will by more spicy)

1 ½ cups dry quinoa

3 cups water (for more flavor, you can substitute part of this with chicken or vegetable stock)

½ a medium yellow or white onion

1-2 small tomatoes or ½ can diced tomatoes, well drained

1-1½ cups finely chopped carrots (I used matchstick carrots then just gave them a course chop)

1-2 teaspoons minced/chopped garlic

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

Vegetable oil

Oregano – amount varies by preference; I used about a handful of fresh oregano finely chopped.

Chili powder – amount varies by preference; I used just a quick sprinkle because I don’t like it too spicy

Chipotle powder - amount varies by preference; see above

Other herbs or spices as desired

¼ - ½ cup shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese

1-2 slices “spicy” cheese such as pepperjack (I happened to have jalapeño white cheddar, so I used that)

The Gear:

Large skillet – large enough to hold your water and quinoa without boiling over OR a smaller skillet and a large pot.

Small baking dish

Nonstick foil or cooking spray

The basics (Knives, cutting boards, measuring cups, etc.)

The Know-how:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and celery and cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the garlic and continue cooking (stirring occasionally) until onions are translucent, about another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add water, oregano, quinoa, and carrots.  If you want all of your quinoa to be more on the “southwest” or spicy side, go ahead and add all your spices and herbs now.  I wanted the leftover quinoa to be mild to go well with other dishes, so I add those spices later.
4. Bring water to boil and boil about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat and simmer covered, an additional 15 minutes.  When the quinoa is done, most of the liquid will be gone and the quinoa will have a rice-like texture and have small white spirals visible on each seed.
5. While the quinoa is cooking, slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Spray the baking dish with cooking spray or line with nonstick foil.  Place the peppers in the baking dish.  Dice your fresh tomatoes or drain your canned.
6. Remove about 2-3 cups of quinoa to a mixing bowl.  (Set any remaining quinoa aside to cool so you can store the leftovers.)  Stir in remaining spices, diced tomatoes, and shredded cheese.
7. Scoop the quinoa mixture into the pepper halves – don’t be afraid to pack it in there tightly. 
8. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
9. Remove the dish from the oven and top each pepper with ¼ - ½  of a slice of the pepperjack or other cheese – just enough to form a thin layer that will bubble up nicely and cover the top. 
10. Bake an additional 5 minutes uncovered until cheese is bubbling.

This makes a great vegetarian meal served with black bean and corn salad and fresh avocado, but would pair well with any Mexican-style dish!  As for the unused quinoa in this recipe, just let it cool, pop it in some Tupperware and refrigerate to have later in the week!