Quinoa Stuffed Red Peppers – Oh, Yeah
My husband made these. He researched. He checked out recipes which matched our CSA veggies. And, he came up trumps. This dish is delicious and good for you, too! A great way to enjoy the tail end of pepper season. This is adapted from allrecipes.com.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa1 cup water2 red bell peppers, halved lengthways with seeds and ribs removed, but stem intact (so they hold their shape) – I used the long thin Italian red peppers, from our CSA.
1/2 Green apple, cored and chopped
1 Tsp olive oil1 clove garlic, minced1.5 Tbs chopped fresh parsley chopped fresh mint1 cup chopped tomatoes1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tbs lime juice*
sea salt and pepper to taste
*I use Santa Cruz organic lime juice – SO much easier! I get mine delivered to me from Vitacost, but any healthfood store or large supermarket should have it.
Make the quinoa by bringing the water to a boil, add the quinoa gently, reduce heat and simmer until all the water has been absorbed – about 20 minutes. I usually boil the water in a kettle, place the quinoa in a pan pour over the water, then reduce the heat. I know, I know purists say the water needs to be boiled in the pan from cold, so as not to effect the flavor but using the kettle is a habit of mine and it seems to save time.
Lightly grease a baking dish and place the pepper halves within it, ‘bowl’ side up.
Mix the chopped onions, garlic, herbs, apples, lime juice and tomatoes together. Add the cooked quinoa. Add seasoning to taste. Fill the peppers with this mixture, then fill the baking dish with about 1/4″ water.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F (175F) for about 20 minutes, until peppers are cooked and quinoa is hot.