Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

    Amazing things happen when you need to clean out your fridge. Amazingly tasty things - and I don't even like bell peppers. This one is super filling, if you're anything like me you'll only need one of these bad boys to last you through the night/day. And this one can easily be made vegan :)

This recipe (ideally) serves 4.

Ingredients

- 4 bell peppers 

- 1 cup uncooked quinoa

- 2 cups water

- 1 tbsp butter (or cooking oil)

- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

- 2 lemons (juice of) 

- 2 Roma tomatoes

- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (optional)

- 1 small to medium onion (diced)

- 3 cloves garlic (minced)

- 1 jalapeno (optional)

Let's do it:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rinse and strain your quinoa a couple of times. If you've never cooked with quinoa before it can taste a little bitter if you don't do this. Just a heads up, so you don't go to all this trouble and then think "Wow, 'Can You Say Psychedelicious' is a terrible food blog. I'm never going there again!!" 

Proceed to dump the rinsed quinoa into a pot. Cover with 2 cups of water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. It should be nice and fluffy when done.

In the meantime, melt your butter/heat your oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Toss in your onions and garlic and cook until soft or slightly brown. I always like to add that you can skip cooking the onion for a more crisp, fresh, onion-y taste if you prefer.  

While the onions and garlic are browning go ahead and chop up your tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro.

In a medium bowl mix together quinoa, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cheese, jalapeno, and cilantro. 

Cut the top portion off of your bell peppers and scoop out the seeds. I actually trimmed a little off the bottom of mine so they would stand up better.

Spoon the quinoa mixture into the peppers all the way to the top!

Replace the tops and put those puppys on a baking sheet and into the oven for about 15-20 mins, or until your whole house smells like awesome and you just can't take it anymore.

Let cool for a few minutes, and then let the eating commence!

Yummmm!