Need a meatless meal that everyone in your family will love, even the meat lovers? Cheesy Quinoa Wonder Peppers are delicious, healthy and easy!
[Photos and recipe updated 4/16]
Have you guys heard of the wonder weeks? I had not heard of them until they were actually happening! And trust me, you will know when they are happening. Apparently wonder weeks, are mental developmental leaps babies experience in their first 20 months of life. These mental leaps mean their brains perceive things they were incapable of perceiving before. How exciting is that!? Some new things we have noticed in little Poppy seed are:
- Movements are smoother and less jerky
- She is more coordinated and much more aware
- She watches us, recognizes me and responds to books
This wonder week, week 12 was definitely very evident. Our normally well-behaved baby, was extra extra fussy. I’m talking hours of fussiness. The fussiness hit the hardest 3 days ago when she fussed and cried for 6 hours on and off. Long long day. The kind of day when no matter what you try, nothing seems to work. Needless to say this was not a day to spend in the kitchen. Instead I opted for an easy wholesome meatless meal that I was able to prepare quickly while baby took a short nap: Cheesy quinoa “wonder” peppers.
Not only are these easy to make but they save beautifully and can be made ahead of time! Yay for lunch the next day! Plus these bad boys pack a lot of healthy protein from the quinoa which is one of the healthiest grains out there! For a full look at the many wonders and benefits of Quinoa, check out my friend Helen’s Well-Being Secrets’- Health Benefits of Quinoa article. Oh and the bell peppers of course are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants.
I promise, these are so easy you will understand why they are called wonder(ful) peppers!
Yields 4 large portions
Ingredients
- 1 cup white quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
- 4 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup of your favorite medium salsa (mild or hot work too based on the spice level you like)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese: 1 cup for stuffing + 1/2 cup to top the peppers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash peppers then cut in half (lengthwise) and remove core and seeds.
- Add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook onions until soft, about 3 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for 1 minute (make sure onions and garlic do not burn). While garlic cooks, stir in cumin, chilli power, salt and pepper. Turn the heat off.
- Add black beans, green onions, cheese, cooked quinoa and salsa until well combined.
- Spoon the quinoa filing into each bell pepper cavity. Pack the filling into each pepper and do not be afraid to have a little overflow. Place the peppers on a 9x13 glass baking dish or any oven save dish that will fit all of the peppers.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover, top each pepper with the rest of the cheese and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and gooey.
- Serve immediately. I like to serve this with sliced avocados, chips and salsa or chips and guacamole. Grab yourself an ice cold beer and enjoy!
Notes
Notes: I do have a confession, I don't just use any salsa. I use my dad's famous salsa! Ask anyone who knows my dad, its his culinary claim to fame! His salsa is simple, fresh and perfectly balanced with both flavor and spice (recipe on the blog soon!) But do not worry if you don't have homemade salsa laying around, store salsa will work perfectly. To make these ahead of time just prepare the stuffed peppers and keep them in the fridge covered until ready to bake in the oven. I normally bake them within 24 hours. Lastly don't forget these wonder peppers make a killer left over lunch for work or home a day or 2 days after. Just heat'em up!
Originally posted 2015-09-20 03:46:16.
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