From Our Kitchen - Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

I've been trying to knock out some of the recipes I've saved onto Pinterest recently.  I have an ever-growing list of things I want to try.  Some of them are more involved and time-consuming than others, but I rounded up a few that looked like quick and delicious weeknight meals.  This was the first I tried, and while we didn't love it, I'm still sharing it anyway.

I am more of a pepper-and-onions kind of person than Jesse, so when I saw this recipe I didn't think he would go for it.  I knew eating the whole pepper along with the filling would mean consuming a large amount of pepper in each bite, which I thought I would like. I was wrong. It was too over-whelmingly peppery that I didn't even finish my first one. I ate only half the pepper, and dumped the filling out of a second to even things out. My sweet husband, who doesn't care for peppers, finished the whole thing. Bless him.

So why would I even share this?
1) The filling is so yummy I ate it alone for lunch the next day. It's packed with flavor and texture!  I packed up our leftover that day by dumping out the filling for the remaining peppers and dicing up only one pepper to add into the mix. So, with all that said, I would make this recipe again but as a side dish this way.  So, if you are a pepper person try this as is; if not, make only the filling and add in one diced pepper. The pepper does bring in good flavor that blends with the others.

2) This recipe calls for quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) - which I have never cooked, nor eaten before this. But it's been all the rage in food-land for a while now, and I've been interested in trying it. I like that this recipe was packed with a variety of other flavors, in case I wasn't too fond of quinoa. Why quinoa and what is it? It cooks like a grain, like rice, but it's technically a seed. Many recipes use it as a healthier alternative for rice because it has nearly double the protein content and a lot more fiber, while remaining lower in carbs. (Quinoa is higher in fat, but it's of the unsaturated variety which is "good" fat that can help lower cholesterol.) Quinoa is a little pricey, but it's nutrition benefits make it worth it in my opinion, especially to sub for rice every once in a while.

Let's cook!

First, you will need 3 cups of cooked quinoa. If you were as unfamiliar as I was, read how to cook quinoa HERE. Sources I read varied, but I can attest that it more than doubles when cooked. I cooked 1.5 cups hoping for an even 3, but wound up with at least 5 cups of cooked. Cook up however much decides to cook, then scoop 3 cups into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Once you have your quinoa, take six bell peppers (whichever colors you prefer; I think the red and orange are a little sweeter and work well for this recipe).  Cut off their tops and spoon out their seeds. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper and sit them inside.

Into your mixing bowl with the quinoa, add your green chilies, whole kernel corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, cilantro, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Now give that all a toss to distribute everything evenly.

Scoop the filling into each of your peppers, then top with a little shredded cheese. Bake until the peppers are soft and the cheese has melted on top (about 30 minutes).

If you are making this as a side dish without filling the peppers, either chop up one raw pepper and through it in, as is. Or saute them before adding in, if you prefer.
(Original recipe found HERE @ damndelicious.net)

I used my leftover quinoa in a soup a few days later, and it was delicious! Maybe I will share that soon, too.