Quinoa-Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Recipe taken from:
Shape Magazine October 2009

Ingredients:
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
6 red bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup diced carrots
1/2 red onion, diced
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Boil 1 1/3 cups water in a saucepan; add quinoa. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Keep covered; set aside. Remove pepper tops, stems, and seeds. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add peppers, boil for 5 minutes, and drain. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add carrots; cook for 3 minutes. Add onion; cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in spinach and beans. Remove from heat and mix in quinoa and chili powder. Fill peppers with quinoa mixture and place upright in a baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Add just enough water to form a very thin layer in the bottom of the dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Notes & Tips:
This is the second time I've tried this recipe. The first time I couldn't find quinoa in our grocery store, but I ended up finding it in the section with the gluten free brownie/cake mix and oatmeal...I don't know why since it's a grain/pasta thing. The first time I made this, I used couscous, I think if I was to make it again I'd use couscous. I think it tasted better. This time was good too, just drier. I also added magi seasoning to this, but you could use anything like soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce (or as I like to call it, worchhhh sauce).

Also, I've decided to change the rating, since it's hard to put a letter "grade" on something when Mat is eating it, so now I'll just write what he comments on it.

I served this with a salad.

Rating:
Pretty Good, I liked the other version better though.

Nutrition Facts:
(1 pepper): 237 calories, 6 g fat (23% of calories), 2 g saturated fat, 35 g carbs, 12 g protein, 10 g fiber, 171 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 260 mg sodium

Photo Credit:
www.shape.com