Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

These are a recent random creation, so the amounts might need a little tweaking.  But even if you end up with too much quinoa mix, you'll have a delish salad for lunch tomorrow.  For a beautiful presentation, choose a combination of green, red, orange and yellow bell peppers.  
P.S.  You can buy quinoa at Costco - a giant bag for less than $10 (much less expensive than grocery and health food stores).  Unfortunately, these little treasures are only ok for Core Plan eaters, as quinoa (and all grain) is not accepted on the Advanced Plan.  They can easily be modified for Advanced Plan eaters, by just increasing the veggies amounts, or even sautee the veggies with ground chicken or turkey. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped or shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini  
• I put the above two ingredients through the grating attachment on a food processor - makes it super quick and easy.  Also, if you can get your hands on them, yellow zucchini adds a pretty colour to the mix. 
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley (or your other fave herbs) 
• 3/4 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 cup grated organic Gruyere cheese (or your favourite, I love Gruyere though)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to package directions.  I boil mine with vegetable or chicken broth instead of water for more flavour.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cashews

Method

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until transparent, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add mushrooms and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes more. Add carrots and zucchini, cook until just softened, then add parsley and spinach (in batches, if needed).
• Let spinach wilt then stir in cinnamon, cumin, cooked quinoa, and cheese and toss gently to combine.
• Add salt, pepper and cashews and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Set aside to let filling cool until just warm.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking pan with coconut oil then set aside.
• Divide quinoa mixture evenly among bell peppers, gently packing it down and making sure to fully fill each pepper. Top each pepper with its reserved top then arrange them upright in prepared pan.
• Cover snugly with foil and bake, checking halfway through, until peppers are tender and juicy and filling is hot throughout, about 1 hour.
• Transfer to plates and serve.