quinoa stuffed peppers

STUFF PEPPERS NOT TURKEYS ! :  )

this is a recipe i made up to my liking and use often. it is quite easy and makes a ton of stuffed peppers so you'll have more for later! i actually made this recipe this thanksgiving as a vegan dinner option which is great for when you have lot's of people to feed. this recipe made about 12 small-medium stuffed peppers so it was plenty.

it happened to be my sisters birthday as well so i made our favorite chocolate vegan cake here because it is so easy and so so good! andddd its FULL of chocolate goodness:)  i ended up decorating the top with sliced kiwi which was almost better than our usual sliced strawberries. mixing kiwis and chocolate was surprisingly really great.

the stuffed peppers i have been using for this recipe lately are green peppers that were kept in the freezer after my mom had already carved out the middle. my parents had plenty of peppers from their vegetable garden this past summer so we freeze any leftover for the winter. so stuffed peppers were the best way to use them up! first i would take them out of the freezer before i started any cooking just to let them thaw out.

ingredients:

• baby bella mushrooms 2 packages sliced
• garlic 2-3 cloves chopped
• one large onion diced
• two shredded carrots
• two tomatoes chopped
• one jalapeno chopped
• spinach about one bag
• coconut oil for cooking
• parsley chopped
• 2 cups red or white quinoa (substitutes: couscous or rice)
• salt
• spices: turmeric, ginger

how to:

1. first thing i do is chop and prepare all the veggies, you can add as much as you like but above are the ingredients i like to use and about how much i use
2. in a large skillet (all depends how much you're going to make) heat two tablespoons of coconut oil
3. once it melts add in the garlic and onions until translucent
4. prepare the quinoa separately in a pan according to package directions- i now add salt to my quinoa so it isn't so plain when added to the main skillet dish
5. once the onions are ready start putting in your veggies; shredded carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes and jalapeno
6. let these cook on medium high heat until they are tender 
7. start adding in your spices (turmeric, ginger) and experimenting with the taste to your liking. i usually add lots of salt because the quinoa tends to be plain. i also add more red pepper flakes if needed, however a jalapeno pepper should be enough. 
8. keep stirring your dish often and once its about done add handfuls of your spinach in at a time. it comes later since it doesn't take long for it to wilt and mix in with the dish. i usually end up adding a whole bag of spinach
9. once your quinoa is done mix it in with your veggie dish and combine well.
10. check the taste and add any more spices if needed
11. once combined and everything is cooked well turn off the heat and mix in your parsley last

 

stuffing the peppers

if you have non frozen whole peppers just cut off the top of the peppers and once your dish has cooled a little start to stuff the peppers. i would also at this time preheat your oven to 400 degrees F while you prepare. sometimes my dish has lots of juice/water in it so i make sure to drain the quinoa stuffing before scooping it into the peppers with a spoon. you don't want that extra juice in your pepper. fill as many peppers as you want and then transfer them to a pan for baking in the oven. i usually pile the pepper right next to each other on the pan and finish it off with pouring some olive oil and water in the pan to coat the bottom so it doesn't burn. you only need a little of each depending on the size of your pan and how many you're making. once prepared you are ready to bake the peppers for about 30-40 minutes. the frozen peppers take longer but just keep checking the peppers until the pepper is soft and tender.