Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

You can really clean out your fridge and use any vegetables you like. It would be nice to use an eggplant along with the zucchini, but really anything will do. The fresh mint and parsley is key, though…so much fresh flavored in there. I’ve also cooked stuffed peppers the traditional way where you cut off the top and leave them standing, but I find that this way just makes way more sense. It’s faster and easier and I can’t argue with that. I’ve used quinoa for the grain here because I love the amount of protein it provides but you could experiment with rice, orzo, couscous, buckwheat, farro, etc. You could top them off with a baba ganoush flavored hummus.

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers [Vegan]

Ingredients

Quinoa:

• Quinoa – 1 cup, rinsed
• Vegetable Stock – 2 cups

Peppers:

• Red Bell Peppers – 4, halved, stems and seeds removed
• Olive Oil – Drizzle
• Sea Salt – Pinch
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper – Pinch

Veggies:

• Olive Oil – 2 Tbsp
• Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
• Onion – 1, diced
• Zucchini – 1, small, diced
• Carrot – 1, large, thinly sliced
• Swiss Chard – 4 huge stalks, de-stemmed, sliced
• Tomato – 1, diced
• Ground Cumin – 1/2 tsp
• Chili Flakes – 1/8 tsp
• Sea Salt – Pinch
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper – Pinch
• Fresh Mint – Small handful, Chopped
• Fresh Parsley – Small handful, Chopped

Preparation

1. Combine the quinoa and vegetable stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes, fluff up with a fork. Set aside.
2. Prepare bell pepper halves on a sheet pan and drizzle both sides with olive oil. Add a generous pinch of both salt and pepper. Roast cut side down at 375 F for 20-25 minutes until tender and slightly charred. Remove from oven, and set aside.
3. While peppers and quinoa are cooking, heat up olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, and onion and cook a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add zucchini, carrot, cumin, and chilli flakes. Cook a couple minutes, covered. Add swiss chard, and tomatoes and cook until chard is wilted. Stir in salt, pepper, and a handful of chopped fresh mint and parsley. Add the quinoa to the veggie mixture and stir until combined.
4. Fill pepper halves with quinoa mixture. Either set in fridge until ready to cook, or freeze for a later date. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 F and heat through until warmed.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/quinoa-stuffed-bell-peppers/