On our Table Tonight: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Here is a recipe that we like at our house. Omit the cheese and you've got a good vegan main dish. It is from a Moosewood cookbook called, "New Classics."

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 cup raw quinoa
6 medium bell peppers
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
3 garlic cloves
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (you may want to leave this out if you don't want them to be spicy.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup peeled and dices carrots
3/4 cup celery
1 cup diced zucchini
1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 and 1/2 to 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly oil a baking pan.

Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve, and rinse well under running water. In a covered pot, bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the quinoa is soft and the water is absorbed.

While the quinoa cooks, cut the bell peppers lengthwise and, leaving the stems on, seed them. Brush the bell pepper shells with 2 tablespoons of the oil, inside and out. Place them, cut side down on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, until softened and slightly brown, but not collapsed. When the bell peppers are roasted, reduce the oven temperature to 350.

Meanwhile. in a skillet, warm the remaining tablespoon of oil and saute the onions and garlic on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, corriander, red pepper flakes, salt, carrots, celery, zucchini, and corn. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.

Combine the sauteed vegetables and the cooked quinoa and add salt to taste. Turn over the roasted pepper shells and spoon filling into each half. Sprinkle each bell pepper half with some of the cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Love,
Kate