RED PEPPERS STUFFED WITH QUINOA AND VEGGIES

HEALTHY EATING...

    That's what my host wanted to share with her guests.


On Saturday, I taught a cooking class for a fitness trainer and her clients. She wanted to show her guests that healthy foods can be delicious. She brought over several recipes she had clipped from magazines or copied from her cookbooks. I used these recipes as a guide and remade them into time-friendly recipes...things we could easily do during a cooking class. This Red Pepper recipe can be prepared using whole peppers. I used quarters...

Here is one of the favorite recipes...

RED PEPPERS STUFFED WITH QUINOA AND VEGGIES

3 RED PEPPERS (ORANGE OR YELLOW WORK, TOO)

OLIVE OIL

QUINOA

BLACK BEANS

CHOPPED TOMATO (1 MEDIUM)

CARROTS (CHOP OR THINLY SLICE…I USED ABOUT 6 BABY CARROTS)

FRESH SPINACH (CHOP…ABOUT ½ CUP)

RED ONION (FINELY CHOPPED…ABOUT ¼ CUP)

GROUND RED PEPPER, TO TASTE (I USED 2 SHAKES…ABOUT ¼ TSP)

PARMESAN CHEESE (FRESHLY SHREDDED…APPROXIMATELY 1 TSP PER PIECE OF PEPPER)

Cut red (or orange) pepper into quarters. Clean out the insides really well. Brush with a little olive oil. Set aside.

Cook 1/2 cup Quinoa with 1 cup water*...in Medium Round Flexi-Mold with Octagonal Silpat on top...in the microwave for 8 min on H. Stir, then cook an additional 2 minutes (you many need to add 2 tbsp of water here, just use your judgement) To the cooked quinoa, add black beans, thinly sliced carrots, chopped fresh spinach, finely chopped onion, a tsp of Olive oil, a little ground red pepper (be careful here...start with just a LITTLE bit and add more if desired), chopped tomato (I actually used about 1/2 can drained Rotel tomatoes with green chilis...because it was in the fridge). Add a little salt, to taste (I sprinkled Sel Gris...really strong flavor. I had to add more cooked quinoa to cut the salty taste. Be careful!) Mix all together, then mound mixture into pepper slices. Place the stuffed peppers on the Silpat/Perforated Baking Tray. Sprinkle a little shredded Parmesan Cheese on top and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. The peppers were softer, but still firm and a bit crunchy. The filling was warmed and cheese was melted. (You could bake for a little longer, if you wanted softer peppers.)

We enjoyed these stuffed peppers either hot or cold... They were served with Chicken Roulades (recipe to come), and a simple spinach salad. It was a very colorful plate...the best kind! I will share more of these recipes next week...

*Directions for cooking Quinoa in the microwave were found online. I googled cooking quinoa in the microwave. Stove top directions are there, too.

Enjoy!!!
Jane

I am linking with FOODIE FRIDAY.