quinoa stuffed peppers

when i migrated from blogger to wordpress i lost my first month or so of blogging. of course i still have back up but what better excuse to re-make some of my favorite recipes (and of course take some new pictures).

this dish was inspired by a supper club. a supper club that unfortunately only happened once, but boy what an inspiration that night was.

thinking back i can remember the fresh vegetables used to create this magnificent menu that we all shared. the meat eaters had chicken and us lonely (there were only 2 of us) veggie eaters got quinoa stuffed peppers. i remember the stuffed peppers distinctly because it was the second time i had eaten quinoa (i was a lover after the first bite). sauteed with onions and topped with a garden fresh tomato sauce. it was irresistible, so much so i went into the kitchen and asked for another (i even asked for the recipe).

i might of gone home with a little buzz (and recipe-less) but i still has my memory and i knew it was something i could recreate.

this is one of my favorite dishes during the spring/summer. it’s light and you can throw anything from your garden inside. the best part, quinoa is kosher for passover so you could eat these all week long.

happy monday!

quinoa stuffed peppers

you can of course use a jar tomato sauce with this dish. i like to throw together a quick light sauce with diced tomatoes and white wine. throw in some onions and garlic and you have a wonderful sweet fresh sauce to accompany an exquisite dish.

to prep: you can use whole peppers, or you can can split them. give then a quick clean and set aside.

1. in a pot or saute pan heat up and add 2 tbl canola oil. saute onions, garlic and mushrooms until they soften and start to turn a golden brown color. it takes about 6-10 minutes.
2. to the pan add quinoa and mix, cook for another minute just to toast the quinoa.
3. add stock and bring to a boil. turn burner down to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until quinoa splits.
4. add herbs and mix. taste, add salt and pepper.

to fill and cook your peppers:

1. add about 1 cup of tomato sauce to bottom of an oven proof dish.
2. stuff quinoa into peppers with a spoon. set in sauce.
3. cover each pepper with about 1/4 cup or more of tomato sauce.
4. cover dish with foil and cook covered at 350 for 30 minutes.
5. uncover and cook for another 10 minutes

this is a great dish alone or served with a big salad.