Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve always imagined.

HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Peppers used to be welcome in our household in any shape or form, salsas, jellies, or even stuffed to the brim with cheese filling. During the last six months, I have been weary about inviting our spicy guests back. With roaring heartburn after eating the mildest of foods, I have not even wanted to venture towards my old friends. That was until I saw the recipe for Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans and decided to put my own spin on it.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Slightly Adapted from One Lovely Life

Ingredients:

6 Anaheim peppers

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

½ medium onion, diced

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 (4 ounce) can green chilies

1 cup corn

1 roma tomato, diced

½ cup cilantro, minced

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 cups Mexican-Style cheese

2 (12 ounce) cans enchilada sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place quinoa, onions and 2 cups water into saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until water is absorbed (10-15 minutes). While quinoa cooks, slice peppers lengthwise and deseed.

2. Combine quinoa mixture, black beans, green chilies, corn, tomato, cilantro, salt, pepper and 1-cup of cheese in a large bowl.

3. Pour enchilada sauce into a large baking dish. Scoop filling into peppers and lay them into the sauce.

4. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

I have been craving quinoa, and I am so glad that I invited the peppers back to taste this delicious treat.

The filling is so good that it could be served on its own, but the low-calorie peppers and sauce make this meal even more satisfying.

This dish brought the heat (from the peppers and medium enchilada sauce I used), but it was worth every bite…and minute of heartburn. For a Meatless Monday, my husband could not get enough peppers onto his plate.

Do you like your Mexican food spicy?