Quinoa Stuffed Pepper Recipe

Sorry for my long absence. As the year’s end draws near, work has been busy with deadlines looming, goals needing to be met for this year & performance reviews drawing near. In addition preparing for the holidays has also been sucking up big chunks of time. I have many topics and half finished drafts in the pipeline. I will try to be more regular from now on. To start with, here is a recipe that is low in carbs, high in protein, filling and tasty as well – Quinoa Stuffed pepper. You can customize it in a lot of ways (possible variations are at the end of the recipe).

Ingredients for Quinoa Stuffed Pepper

• Nice big bell peppers (whatever color you like, I used 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green for variety)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 tomato diced
• 2 carrots shredded
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1-2 cups baby spinach
• 2 tsp curry powder (you can get these in Henrys’ farmers market or in the ethnic sections of a grocery store)
• (optional) small amount of ginger paste
• (optional) small amount of garlic paste
• (optional) 1/2 tsp of turmeric
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• (optional) cilantro to dress
• You could also add some other veggies (mushrooms) or nuts

Method for Stuffed Pepper

1. Cook Quinoa : Wash quinoa and prepare it as the instructions say. I buy quinoa in bulk from Costco (least expensive), you can find them in Henrys’ (costlier than Costco but if you don’t have Costco membership this is the cheapest option), Trader Joes or in some grocery stores (most expensive). I soak quinoa in water for 10-20 mins (this is optional but it improves the taste and texture significantly). Then cook in the microwave for 12 mins (1-2 cups). If you are boiling it, it takes ~15 mins to cook completely.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 deg F.
3. Sauté onion in 1/2-1 tsp of olive oil. When it turns clear, add ginger/garlic paste, sauté for a minute. Add the diced carrots, tomatoes and any other veggies you have. Cook them for a couple of minutes.
4. Add salt, turmeric and curry powder. Cook it for a couple of minutes.
5. Add spinach finally and sauté for a minute or two. Don’t cook it too much.
6. Finally add the quinoa and mix everything well. The stuffing is ready.
7. Cut the peppers, I left the stem on for aesthetic purposes. Remove the veins and the seeds.
8. Fill the peppers with the stuffing and bake/roast them for 10-15 minutes.
9. When you serve them, add some chopped cilantro on the top.

They are very healthy and sooo pretty.

Sorry about the bad picture. My husband deleted all the pictures except this one .

Variations for Stuffed Pepper

This recipe above is an “Indian” version of the stuffed Quinoa. You can easily change this to suit different cuisines.

Italian Stuffed pepper : Instead of the curry powder and turmeric, add some Italian herbs – dried or fresh basil, oregano and a little bit of pasta/marinara sauce instead of the tomatoes.

Mexican stuffed pepper : Similar variation, instead of the curry powder, add some jalapeño or make a salsa and add it to the stuffing.

Quinoa has all the essential amino acids our body needs, it one of the protein rich grains (actually a seed, but it works like a grain) that is great for women with PCOS. I will try to post a recipe once every week or two. If you want some specific recipes, do drop me a line.

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