Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa') Stuffed Peppers - My 23 MONTH OLD ATE IT!

This is another fantastic recipe from Clean Eating Magazine.  Vegetarian, fast and easy to make, flavorful and very good for you with tons of protein and fiber.  It was so good that my daughter, who will be 2 next month, hammered some of the quinoa mixture!

Pesto Preparing to be Chopped



Fresh Red Bell Peppers

Quinoa Mixture Simmering

Mmmm....delicious!

A cheesing it up for the camera...

I love Quinoa!

ENJOY!

(Copied directly from Clean Eating Magazine, February 2011 Issue, page 76)

QUINOA-STUFFED PEPPERS

Serves 2.  Hands-on time: 30 minutes.  Total time: 45 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

STUFFED PEPPERS

• 2 bell peppers (any color), halved and seeded, stems intact
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 7 oz diced tomatoes, no salt added (I took a can of San Marzano whole, peeled tomatoes and died them myself)
• 5 oz spinach
• 1 tbsp pine nuts

PESTO

• 2 cups basil or spinach (I used spinach)
• 1/2 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 1/2 tbsp EVOO (I used Light Virgin Olive Oil)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 pinch fresh black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

• ONE: Prepare peppers: Preheat broiler to high.  Place bell peppers, skin-side-up, on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.  Broil until bell peppers start to soften, about 10 minutes.
• TWO: Meanwhile, combine quinoa, broth and tomatoes in a medium pot.  Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.  Add handfuls of spinach to quinoa mixture and stir to combine.  Fill bell pepper halves with quinoa-spinach mixture, dividing evenly.
• THREE: Prepare pesto: add basil (or spinach), garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, oil, salt and pepper to a food processor (I used my blender) and pulse until finely chopped.  Add 2 to 2 tbsp water as needed to thin pesto, if desired.
• FOUR: Top stuffed peppers with pesto, dividing evenly, or serve on the side.  Sprinkle remaining pine nuts over stuffed peppers, dividing evenly.

Nutrients per serving (2 stuffed halves): Calories: 388, Total Fat: 18g, Sat. Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g, Carbs: 43 g, Fiber: 9g, Sugars: 7 g, Protein 14g, Sodium: 327 mg, Cholesterol: 4 mg

Couple of notes from me:

• I tripled this recipe because I wanted to share this with my mom and brother and also to have leftovers.  The leftovers were great.
• I also made extra of the quinoa mixture.  Even though it enlarges when it cooks, you will want extra.  Trust me.
• The quinoa mixture tends to be a tiny little bit bland without the pesto on top of it.  My husband put a little bit of Bragg's Amino Acids (think soy sauce) and it was very tasty.  But, since Bragg's is pure and 100% natural, it is a tad on the salty side, so dash it on with care, please.
• Preparing the peppers was a pain in the a**.  It was the most cumbersome part of the recipe.  I would recommend preparing them the day before if you are short on time.  You could also make the pesto the day before too.  We were dipping tortilla chips into it - it was so incredibly good.
• I will be making this again for sure!