Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa, Corn, and Feta Cheese

I added bacon to this and I am sorry.  This is a perfectly delicious vegetarian meal.  And I fully support that.  But I had some bacon in my fridge.  Bacon that I definitely should have put in my freezer so that I didn't convince myself to put it in every dish that it would work in.  But it so works in this dish.  

JSYK.  You can add it and it might be extra delicious.  

I seriously feel bad about the bacon.

I stuffed a variety of peppers including red bell, poblano and maybe anaheim(?).  Woah, look at me mixing things up.  I even stuffed a tomato.  

Every time I stuff things, I have way more stuffing than I have things to stuff.  But also, the stuffing is so delicious to just eat on its own.  I mean, you could even skip the pepper and just make the quinoa as a dish on its own.  

Wow.  Good flow in this blog post.  Sorry if this gave you a migraine.  

Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa, Corn, and Feta Cheese

from Eats Well with Others

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup quinoa (or in my case 3/4 cup quinoa and 1/4 cup bulgur)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch of scallions, including 2 inches of the greens, thinly sliced

2 jalapeno chiles, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

4 ears worth of corn kernels (about 2 cups)

1 bunch spinach, leaves only

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 lb feta cheese, cut into small cubes

2 large red onions, thinly sliced into rounds

1/2 cup veggie broth or white wine

4 peppers

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt, then the quinoa. Give it a stir, then cover and simmer over low heat until the grains are tender and reveal their spiraled germ, about 15 minutes.

Warm half the oil in a wide skillet. Add the scallions and chiles. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic, cumin, corn, and spinach, along with 2 tbsp water. When the spinach is wilted, add the cilantro, quinoa, and feta and remove from heat. Toss everything together. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a wide skillet. When hot, add the onions and saute, stirring frequently, until they start to color around the edges, after several minutes. Pour in the broth or wine and deglaze the pan, giving the onions a stir as you do. Season with salt and pepper and distribute in a baking dish large enough to hold the peppers.

Slice the peppers in half lengthwise. Cut out the membranes and seeds. Simmer in salted water until tender to the touch of a knife but not overly soft, 4-5 minutes. Remove. Fill them with quinoa mix and set them in the baking dish. Preheat oven to 400. Bake the peppers until heated through, 20 to 30 minutes, then switch the heat to broil and brown the tops. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

(Servings: 4-6, Prep time: 1 hr., Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5