Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Green peppers are really cheap at the farmer's market and of course my sense of reality gets fuzzy when I go to the farmer's market which basically equates to me thinking I can consume 16 peppers in one week. What better way to devour a green pepper than when it's stuffed with other veggies from the farmer's market??? No "wasted produce" guilt here. This recipe originally calls for couscous but I swapped it for quinoa. They were delicious, filling, and very healthy.

Adapted from ChangeOne for Diabetes

Ingredients:

6 large bell peppers (any color)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small zucchini, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 C cooked couscous (OR use cooked quinoa!)
1 can (15 ounced) chick-peas, drained and rinsed
1 ripe tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese (I used shredded parmesan bc that's what I had)

1. Slice the tops off the peppers to make lids. Scoop out the membranes and seeds and discard. Simmer the peppers and lids, covered, in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 and heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

(This is a plug for my favorite kitchen gadget, the Vidalia Chop Wizard! See how finely chopped the zucchini is?)

Add the zucchini and garlic and saute' for 2 minutes Stir in the lemon juice. Cook for 1 minute and remove from the heat. Stir in the couscous, chickpeas, tomato, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cheese.

3. Fill each pepper with the couscous mixture and place upright in a shallow baking dish. Cover with the pepper tops and bake just until the filling is heated through, about 20 minutes.

Printable Version