Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers


                          

These beautiful red peppers are stuffed with quinoa, black beans and sauteed vegetables. They not only look pretty, but they are filling, satisfying, and nutritious. Did I mention that they tate really good? Served with soup or salad, they are a meal.
I like to serve the outside of the pepper raw to preserve the vitamins and antioxidants, but I also provided a variation where you can cook the pepper, if you prefer. Either way they are delicious, hearty, gluten free and vegan.

                           
Ingredients

6 large red peppers
2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 can of black beans, drained well
1 large onion , chopped
4 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 more large can of diced tomatoes ( optional for cooking peppers)
2 carrots, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 bag of frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
Olive Oil Spray
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil spray for about 2 minutes. Add can of diced tomatoes and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add  diced carrots and zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and continue cooking for about another minute. Add spinach and cook until all is tender but not mushy.Stir frequently. Add quinoa and beans and stir until everything is blended well. Season and set aside .



Cut the top off of the washed peppers and clean out the insides. If you like the pepper raw, stuff it and it's ready to eat.

If you prefer the pepper cooked, then stuff the peppers and arrange them in a dutch oven pan. Add another can of diced tomatoes and some more lemon juice around the peppers. Cover and cook until peppers are soft, basting the peppers with the tomato sauce as they cook. Serve immediately.

These peppers can also be frozen .





13 comments:

  1. Love those red peppers and the stuffing looks delicious. I like to eat the peppers raw too.

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  2. Thank you for giving me an idea for using my red peppers this evening for dinner. Very healthy indeed!

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  3. This sounds like a delicious dinner option when paired with soup. Yummy!

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  4. Sounds delicious! I'm thinking of trying the filling with lettuce wraps and a spicy dip. ~Hungry just thinking about it~

    P.S. Thanks for your kind comments and for visiting ShawnsPlate.com :)

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  5. These look delicious! What an unusual combination of flavors. Would you be interested in linking this post to my new link party, Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love? I would love to find these peppers in my lunchbox :) (Submissions don't have to be free of all allergens, just relatively allergy-friendly, and this one definitely is). The party goes live on Friday at 6:00 am. Hope to see you there! http://allergyfreecookery.blogspot.com.

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  6. I've been looking for some new quinoa recipes. Thanks!

    I'd love it if you'd link up to my new recipe party: http://www.alittlenosh.net/2011/09/inaugural-linky-party.html

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  7. These look so colourful and delicious! I love all the wholesome ingredients too. Thank you for sharing this wonderful stuffed pepper recipe with Let's Do Brunch.

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  8. Hi Judee,
    I just love your stuffed peppers, they look delicious! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope you are having a great week!
    Come Back Soon,
    Miz Helen

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  9. Looks good! I'm going to pin this right now to make later!

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  10. Judee - this recipe looks delicious, I'm going to try it. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Looks great. I've always had trouble with quinoa. It never turns out quite right. Mushy. I'll keep trying.

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  12. They sound great! Funny, I made stuffed peppers for hubby and me the other night, and used green ones even though I like the red better. We both decided red peppers would have been perfect (and didn't eat the green). Thanks for submitting this to WW this week!

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  13. I love all the ingredients here and really must try these! Thanks for linking up to my pepper blog hop! Pinned :-)

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