Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

The best stuffed peppers I've ever had.  I've found I don't like ground beef in stuffed peppers - the grease just doesn't seem to go well with the other ingredients - leaving a slick feeling in my mouth that I don't like at all.   I love the chewy texture of the quinoa in these, plus they are loaded with veggies.  Elliot eats them too!  They are healthy, can be assembled ahead, make a large batch, and freeze well.

The recipe makes a lot of the stuffing.  You could use 7 peppers instead of the 4 that's called for, or you could use the leftover stuffing to make quesadillas or something the next day.

* 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
* 2 Tbs. olive oil
* 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
* 1 Tbs. ground cumin
* 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
* 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
* 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 3/4 cup quinoa
* 3 large carrots, grated (11/2 cups)
* 11/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
* 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Directions

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.