Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Now that the dog has gone for her 2nd run of the day, it's time to post tonight's dinner. Tonight, I made Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. If you don't know what quinoa is, check it out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa . I had been waiting to try this recipe for quite sometime and decided tonight was the night. I also needed something healthy and light, because mum made a ziti bake that also needed to be eaten by me. My shopping adventure today was super tough. I stalled in front of the beautiful squash display for quite some time, desperately wanting to buy one of each. But, I glanced down at the shopping list in my hand and forged on squashless. Someday....

I was also very upset over not being able to find an ingredient I really needed. I planned out my meals for tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday night cooking. Tomorrow, I plan on making a Haystack Dinner and Wednesday's dish was to be Rigatoni with Pumpkin Cream Sauce. But alas, no pumpkin puree was to be found (sniffle). So I will have to re-plan Wednesday night's meal (maybe a squash dish!). I had a test audience for my peppers tonight, since my grandmother and uncle came over to eat the ziti bake. I threw some peppers on their plates and they enjoyed them...even my uncle who is a fierce meat-eater.
Photo time:







Also, today, there is a BONUS RECIPE!!!! I know most of you probably just fell out of your chairs upon hearing the surprise news. I made a dessert to go with my meal spur of the moment. I made Grilled Nectarines. Recipes follow....




Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
4 small green bell peppers
3/4 cups uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (on top of the 4 small peppers)
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. minced, seeded jalapeno
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup minced green onions
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
dried cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut green peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stems.
2. Prepare quinoa according to package directions.
3. Spray a non-stick skillet, place over med-high heat until hot. Add chopped green and red peppers, chopped onion, jalapeno and garlic, and saute for 4 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in green onions, cilantro, soy sauce and lime juice. Stir in 3 tbsp of enchilada sauce and add quinoa.
5. Spoon mixture into pepper halves. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce into a glass 9x13" baking dish, and place peppers in dish.
6. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake, uncovered, for an addtional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
7. Spoon enchilada sauce over peppers and serve.


Grilled Nectarines

Ingredients:
Nectarines
Brown Sugar
White sugar
Cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter

I didn't measure anything out, but it's very easy to eyeball the sugar mixture. You need just enough of the mixture to cover the nectarine slices. I also brushed my grill pan with some olive oil before grilling the fruit.

1. Cut nectarines so they have a flat side. Turn on broiler.
2. Combine brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
3. Grill nectarines in a grill pan until they have nice grill marks. They cook fast, so watch them closely!
4. In a cast iron or oven safe pan, melt butter. Dip grilled side of nectarine into the butter then turn back face up. Sprinkle each piece with some of the sugar mixture. Put the pan under the broiler for about 1 minute. You just want the sugar to melt.

**These are great served with some vanilla ice cream**

BONUS PHOTO: ZITI BAKE