Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (Vegan!)

When it comes to quinoa, people fall into 4 categories:

1. They've never heard of it

2. They've never ordered it because they don't know how to pronounce it.

3. They've had it made poorly (squishy, slimy) and hate it.

4. They've had it and  love it.

 Well, none of you can be #1 anymore, or #2, because it's pronounced : KEY-nua or KEY-nwa. (Note: it is NOT pronounced kih-NO-ah or KWEE-no-ah). If you were #3, have some faith! I promise when done well it's great. All of you should be #4 after making this recipe...

I'm not being up on a high horse here, I've been all 4 of those categories before. Before I lived in South America I didn't know what it was for a while, and then had seen it but couldn't pronounce it. Then while backpacking through Bolivia I had it all. the. time. Most of the time in a pretty gross way. Now? Now I love it.

What you'll need to make it happen (serves 2):

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup vegetable broth

2 red bell peppers

1 carrot or 4 baby carrots, cut in small rings

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 medium onion, diced

1/2 small jalapeño, diced

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt, divided

sprinkle dried parsley

1 tsp olive oil

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Drizzle a little olive oil in a saucepan and cook your garlic, onion, jalapeño, and carrot for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.

Step 2: Add your vegetable broth and quinoa and cook as directed on the box. I always cook for a minute or so less, to avoid the quinoa overcooking. You'll know when it's ready when the center is clear and there is a milky ring around the outside. Once cooked, add in your pepper, parsley, paprika, and half your salt.

Step 3: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and hollow out your peppers, throwing out the insides, and cutting off the top. 

Step 4: Place your peppers on tinfoil on an oven safe pan or dish.Fill them will the quinoa mixture, packing it in and replacing the tops.

Step 5: Brush the peppers with olive oil and sprinkle with the rest of your sea salt. Wrap loosely in tinfoil. Bake for 1 hour in the oven.

Step 6: Let cool for 5-10 minutes, uncover- and enjoy the pepper and the mixture inside!

Like I promised when I made my kale chips and cabbage salad, I'm going to start sharing some of my healthier recipes on the blog, and this is one of them. Quinoa is a great source of protein, and although it is still high in carbs, it has much more nutritional value than things like white rice and pasta. 

Once your get your veggie broth to quinoa ratio down, it should never come out crunchy or slimy! This is a great vegan dish- in case you have any vegan & vegetarian friends out there.

Before this post, which category (1,2,3,4) did you fall into?

Seriously, share!

xo, lp