I decided this morning to give our stuffed peppers a southwestern twist and to use quinoa instead of rice. (I had an over abundance of quinoa and only a little bit of brown rice left - have to use what's in the house. :-D) I was a little worried about the reception of these peppers for a variety of reasons: 1. I have never made stuffed peppers for Brian before. 2. I have never used quinoa in stuffed peppers before. Finally, 3. I don't think Brian has ever eaten quinoa. -- Everyone says Stink's crazy pickiness comes from me, but getting Brian to eat new things can be just as difficult!--
Apparently I was worried for nothing. Brian liked the peppers and didn't balk at the quinoa. Now if I could only get Stinks to eat something other than crackers, cheese and pepperoni!
Southwestern Stuffed Peppers
Don't they look wonderful just as is? |
- 1/2 lb Ground Beef (or chicken)*
- 1/2 c Dry Quinoa
- 1/2 c Mushrooms, chopped
- 6 Bell Peppers
- 1 - 1 1/2 c Salsa
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 c Corn
- 1 c Black Beans
- 1 c Cheddar Cheese, grated
- Taco Seasoning, per preference
- Cook the quinoa as per the package instructions. Set aside. (I always rinse my quinoa prior to cooking and use the 1 : 2, quinoa to water ratio. I also always seem to have some cooked hanging around.)
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- While the quinoa is cooking, prep the peppers by cutting out the stem and removing the seeds. Place the peppers in a shallow baking dish and pour water (about 3/4 - 1 c) into the base of the dish around the peppers. Place peppers in the oven to steam for about 10 - 30 minutes depending on your preference. (We like our peppers to still have a good crunch so I only steam ours for about 15 minutes.) Once the peppers are steamed to your preference remove from the oven and set aside to slightly cool.
- While the peppers are steaming spray a fry pan with non-stick spray and add in the onions, mushrooms and beef. Cook until the beef is browned through and the onions are translucent.
- Reduce heat and add in the taco seasoning, corn, beans, salsa and cooked quinoa. Stir together.
- Spoon the meat/quinoa mixture into each pepper and return the peppers to the oven for about 15-20 minutes. (I always add about a teaspoon of water to each stuffed pepper prior to putting them back in the oven, but this isn't necessary.)
- Just before the peppers are done, sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the tops and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.
- ENJOY
So there you have it. Let me know if you try them - I do like feedback!
Once I hit the 40 pound lost mark in my pregnancy they started getting really worried and had me try all sorts of things. Quinoa was one of them. I have to say that my first impression was NOT a good one but I have learned that mixed into things it tastes just fine!! It works out really really well in this recipe. If you try it let me know you thoughts! (I should point out that you couldn't taste the meat in this at all so omitting it all together probably wouldn't be a bad thing at all! I was contemplating going meatless but I was already introducing quinoa, I didn't want to shock Brian too much :-D)
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