Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoon)
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach,
- thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 3 large carrots, grated (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
- 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
Directions:
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and saute 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
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.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
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 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.
Makes 8 Servings
Nutritional Info Per Serving: Calories 279, Carbs 36 g, Fat 10 g, Fiber 10 g, Protein 14 g
