Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans

Is it just me or does quinoa remind anyone else of fish eggs? Nope...just me? It's taken a while for me to introduce this power food into our diet since I just couldn't get over that. I stumbled upon this recipe and thought I'd give it a go. My husband isn't a fan of peppers or quinoa, and yet this recipe highlights BOTH those ingredients. I'm a mean wife. I was just crossing my fingers he wouldn't have to gag this down. I was shocked when he actually enjoyed it! So believe me, if my husband liked these then it's a great way to introduce quinoa in your diet.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans
8 SERVINGS 

PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 25-30 minutes            READY IN: 40-45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 bell peppers (slice in half from stem-to-tip and remove seeds)
• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 4-oz can diced green chiles, with juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (for the extra kick, if desired)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup reduced fat 4-cheese Mexican cheese
• 2 14-oz can enchilada sauce (I like the medium red sauce)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Add quinoa and onion in a saucepan with 2 cups of water over medium heat with a dash of salt. Let it boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, prepare your peppers to be filled. If you like a softer pepper then microwave them for 2 minutes. If you like them more crisp you can skip this step.
3. Put your quinoa and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix in black beans, tomato, chiles, cilantro, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. If your mixture is too dry then you can add a little olive oil, but it should be fine without. 
4. Pour your enchilada sauce into a 9x13" pan (save a little for drizzling on top, if you want). Set your peppers in the pan so they are nice and snug. Divide the quinoa mixture between the peppers. Top it off with cheese. 
5. Cover with foil and bake at 375º for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 5 minutes.

Serving options: drizzle enchilada sauce on top, add diced avocado, or add a dollop of sour cream. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 pepper serving    221 calories   4.1g fat   36.2g carbs    10.8g protein    5.6g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from www.onelovelylife.com