Veggie Delights: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers!

What Veggie Delights is all about: I’m convinced that I can share with you some really amazing meatless dishes that you will love, even if you’re not a Vegetarian!

If you can’t tell by now, I’m a HUGE quinoa fan.  Here’s yet another delicious quinoa recipe!  I got this out of the great Moosewood Cookbook that I’ve really been enjoying the past few weeks.  I have to return it to the library pretty soon, and I’m quite certain I’ll be using my Swag Bucks to buy it on Amazon. 

I have to say…I honestly liked the quinoa mixture by itself, with some cheese sprinkled on it, without being stuffed in the pepper.  I felt like the pepper kind of took away from the flavor.  My hubby thought the opposite – he LOVED it with the pepper.  So I will just give you the recipe, and you can decide for yourself.  But if you’re not in the mood to deal with the peppers, the quinoa mixture with some cheese is delish just by itself.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 4 bell peppers
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup peeled and diced carrots
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1 & 1/2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 1 & 1/2 to 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 & 1/2 tsp cumin (+ a little more for additional taste)
• 1 & 1/2 tsp coriander (+ a little more for additional taste)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or ground red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt (+ a little more to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop/dice all of the veggies:  onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and zucchini.  Be sure to keep onions and garlic separate from rest of veggies.
3. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise.  Seed  them.  Lightly Brush each bell pepper with olive oil (inside and out).
4. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly (in a mesh colander or sieve).
5. Lightly oil a pan.  Place bell peppers on the pan, with the cut-side down.
6. Roast bell peppers for about 15 or 20 minutes, until softened and slightly browned.  But don’t let them collapse.  When finished cooking, remove from oven, and turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.
7. Meanwhile, place quinoa and 2 cups of water in a pot.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.  LOOK FOR THE SPIRALS!  Biggest hint on cooking quinoa!  Once the spirals have opened up, the quinoa is finished cooking.  Sometimes it doesn’t take very long, and you never want to overcook quinoa, or it will lose it’s yummy crunchy/nutty taste and get all mushy.  As soon as it is done cooking, you’ll want to immediately drain the water and set the quinoa aside.
8. While peppers and quinoa are cooking:
   *Warm some olive oil in a skillet on stove.
   *Saute chopped onions and minced garlic on medium heat until onions have softened (about 5 minutes).
   *Stir in all of the spices: cumin, coriander, red pepper, salt.
   *Stir in the veggies: carrots, celery, zucchini, and corn.
   *Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until veggies are tender.
9. Combine quinoa and vegetable mixture.  Taste test.  Add additional spices and/or salt as needed.
10. Spoon some filling into each half bell pepper.
11. Sprinkle with cheese.
12. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is melted.
13. Enjoy!!!  And like I said – the mixture by itself with some cheese sprinkled over it is delightful!

What About You: Does this sound yummy to you?  Do you enjoy quinoa recipes?