Stuffed and ready to eat!

I’ve never made stuffed peppers.  It seemed like something my family would have no interest in. Then we went to a friend’s house for dinner recently and he made stuffed peppers. Well, you would have thought I was holding out on my family for all these years! When they tasted the stuffed peppers, they turned to me and said, “Why don’t you ever make these”?  And so, this recipe immediately went on the list of things to make and bring anywhere!   I now make stuffed peppers, stuffed zucchini, stuffed acorn squash and anything else I can stuff on a regular basis. I use brown rice, cous cous, quinoa (as in this recipe) and I mix it up with meat and veggie so everyone is happy.  My family and friends love them and what a great way to add another vegetable to the meal.  Plus, how easy is this recipe?

Ingredients

4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
4 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp garam masala
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 15 oz can chick peas
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
Grated sharp cheese (optional)

Method

1) Cut peppers in half lengthwise by cutting right through the top of the pepper and the stem.  Scoop out seeds and inner membrane from pepper but leave the stem (this will help hold the pepper together when you stuff it).
2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place halved peppers cut side down on a large baking sheet. Cover with foil, and bake 25 minutes, or until peppers begin to soften.
3) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Sauté onions and carrots for 5-7 minutes.  Add curry powder, garam masala, and ginger and cook 1 minute.  Stir in chick peas and cooked quinoa until they are warm.  Mix in raisins and peanuts if using.
4) Fill each pepper half with 3/4 cup quinoa mixture. Top with cheese if using. Re-cover and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes until cheese or top starts to brown.