Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

We have a huge bag of quinoa from Costco, so I began searching for some new recipes to try out on my family.  I also wanted to use up some green peppers that would be going bad soon, so my end result was quinoa stuffed peppers.   I substituted the rice for quinoa and they were delicious!  There are a few classic recipes when I’ll typically pull out my trusty ‘ol Betty Crocker cookbook (circa1971) and this is where I started for the dish. 

A few quick notes before I begin:  1.  My recipe called for 6 green peppers, but I only had 3.  I baked the extra meat/quinoa mixture in a ramekin along with the 3 peppers.   I also didn’t have tomato sauce, so I used a can of crushed tomatoes—worked like a charm.  3.  The recipe called for 2 Tbsp. of onion—I just used the whole onion, chopped.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

What you need:
6 large bell peppers

5 cups boiling salted water

1 lb lean ground beef

2 tablespoons chopped onion  I used a whole onion.

1-1 ½  cups cooked quinoa

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1 clove garlic, finely chopped  I used ½ teaspoon garlic powder.

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 oz) I used shredded Parmesan.

Heat oven to 350°F.  Cut thin slice from stem end of each bell pepper to remove top of pepper. Remove seeds and membranes; rinse peppers. Cook peppers in the boiling salted water 5 minutes; drain.

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  I cook mine in broth for added flavor.

Cook/brown beef and onion in medium skillet until beef is brown and onion is tender; drain. Stir in quinoa, salt, garlic salt, garlic and 1 cup of the tomato sauce; heat through.

Stuff peppers with beef mixture. Stand peppers upright in ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers.  Cover tightly with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer or until peppers are tender. Sprinkle with cheese.  I sprinkle mine with cheese right before putting back in oven for the last 15 minutes of baking time.

Adapted from the recipe here.

Quinoa & Black Beans

Now that life is back to normal and we’re all back home, I’m back to cooking.  We made a ham in the slow cooker this weekend, and Joe picked his favorite quinoa dish to go along with it.  This recipe was recommended to me by a friend a few months ago.  It’s delicious and super easy.  We used it as a side dish (with lots of leftovers) but it could also stand alone.  I make it without the cayenne pepper, and depending on whether or not I have cilantro on hand, I might leave that out, too…so have no fear if you have to change the recipe a bit.  If you’re afraid try quinoa, or not sure what to do with it, this is a great dish to make for a first-timer!

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional salt and pepper to taste 1 cup frozen corn kernels OR 1 can corn 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional 1-2 cooked chicken breasts, diced or shredded, optional

Directions:

1.	Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and sauté until lightly browned.
2.	Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3.	Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.  Fold in the chicken slowly until incorporated. Serve. UPDATE 11/23/15 So I made a few changes this time around and I think it came out even better than before. -I cooked the chicken breasts by boiling them in water.  Cook thoroughly.  When just about done, I poured out 1/3-1/2 of the water and replaced with chicken broth and 1 tbsp salt.  I continued to boil for 5-10 minutes. -I put the chicken in the food processor to get it finely shredded.  Just be careful that you don't pulverize the chicken, turning it to mush.  It should be small, shredded-like pieces. I think this was much better than dicing the chicken.  The flavors all blended together better and it was delicious! -I left out the cayenne and cilantro. -I also used 1 can of corn instead of frozen. Instead of cilantro another option could be to top with green onions finely chopped. I haven't tried that yet though. Original recipe found here.