Meatless Monday: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Happy Tuesday! Thankfully my quads somehow got me through teaching spin class at 5:30 this morning – I’m not sure quite how! Class was actually really great- I did things just a little differently after all of my training this weekend (and I also played nothing but loud pop music, in ode to Bodypump). I’m still on my bodypump high… and my body is still quite sore. Luckily I have a deep tissue massage scheduled for 3 pm today and can not wait.

Since I exhausted myself with yesterday’s post re-capping the Bodypump training experience, I’m going to keep this one brief.

Last night I cooked up one of my favorite (go-to) Meatless Monday recipes: Quinoa stuffed peppers.

I used red bell peppers, because it’s what I had on hand. I prefer the taste of red over green, but the green ones definitely look prettier with the contrast of the red sauce! I based my dish on a recipe from Whole Foods site. It’s pretty much the same, with a few minor changes. I usually cut the tops of the peppers instead of cutting them length-wise, but I figured that by doing it this way, more of the quinoa would be exposed and get crunchy.

Quinoa-stuffed bell peppers

1/3 c uncooked quinoa + 1 c water

2 medium to large bell peppers (any color) + 1/4 c chopped bell pepper

1/4 c diced onions

1 large carrot, diced

3 medium-sized crimini mushrooms

1 large handful of fresh spinach, chopped

2 T chopped walnuts

1 tsp of each: cinnamon, cumin, garlic powder

salt + pepper to taste

marinara sauce (I used salt-free crushed tomatoes and seasoned it to taste)

Cook the quinoa until all liquid is absorbed. Add a little bit more water and reduce heat to low. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the 2 whole bell peppers and marinara sauce. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring once on twice. Pre-heat the oven to 400˚. Slice the bell peppers in half and place in a baking dish. Fill each cavity with the quinoa mixture, diving evenly, and cover with foil. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the top layer of quinoa is nice and crunchy (which is the best part!). Remove from oven and serve with marinara sauce.

I know that the combination of cinnamon with all of the savory flavors sounds weird, but it’s really good- trust me.

I had a little of this for dessert- my goodness this is yummy (and tart!!)!

If you are into tart fro-yo, you will LOVE THIS. It is addictive!!

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Later gators!

What’s the strangest flavor combination that you love?

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