Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
Recipe brought to you by Vanessa Pergolizzi:
When I became a vegetarian over two years ago, I initially found it difficult to create exciting dishes. As the months passed and I conducted more research, I found that being a vegetarian didn't have to consist of boring meals. You can have a lot of fun trying out new flavor combinations and getting creative with your food. Variety is the key to healthy and exciting vegetarian cooking. There are so many simple, yet tasty and flavorful vegetarian dishes. Quinoa stuffed peppers is one of my favorites!
Ingredients:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 8-oz. pkg. mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced very thin
1/2 of a poblano pepper, diced
1 TBSP ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups water
1 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 1/2 cups grated Pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
Directions:
1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion, celery, and poblano pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add cumin and garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Stir in mushrooms and drained tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes or until most of liquid has evaporated.
5. Stir the quinoa, carrots, and water together in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender.
6. Combine quinoa and carrots with black beans, 1 cup of cheese, and the onion mixture from the first step.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
8. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture and place in baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.
9. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 TBSP of remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned.
10. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
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