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Quinoa & Beans Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients (4 or more servings plus leftovers):
6-7 smaller bell peppers (or 4-5 bigger ones)
1 cup rinsed quinoa
2-3 tsp ghee or grapeseed oil
13-15 oz cooked beans (one jar or can; I like Jovial jars)
1 onion, diced
1 big carrot, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)
small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp each cumin and chili powder (optional)
2 bay leaves
6-7 tsp tomato paste
6 tbs grated cheese (optional)
sour cream, cilantro, sliced avocado, and chopped green onions for garnishing (optional)
Core and seed the peppers. Heat the oil in a pan and add diced onions and garlic. Cook a couple of minutes, then add the chopped carrots and celery. Cook a few more minutes until onion is translucent. Add rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of filtered water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a minimum, cover the pan and cook 15 minutes. When done, put quinoa mixture into a bowl, add beans, chopped parsley, and all of the spices (except bay leaves). At this point you have a nice quinoa & bean salad that you can eat as it is (so save any leftovers). Place peppers with the opening facing up into one or two tall oven dishes. Fill each pepper with the quinoa mixture and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Mix the tomato paste with two cups of hot water and pour around the stuffed peppers. Add the bay leaves into the tomato sauce. Cover the dishes and bake in the oven at 350F for about an hour, or until peppers are soft when pierced with a fork. Serve with sour cream, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and green onions. Enjoy!