Monday, August 24, 2009

Mediteranian Stuffed Peppers


I had two meals in mind for tonight and tomorrow night's dinner. However, both called for tomato paste. In my mind I had several cans of tomato paste in the pantry. In reality, I had zero. Instead of going back to the store, I created a new recipe with what I had in the fridge. With the produce I just picked up this weekend, I had a lot of options ahead of me (decision making is not one of my strong suits when it comes to dinner....too many options, too little time).

Adam took Owen for a bike ride while I opened up a bottle of wine, put on my apron and got cooking! Here is what I came up with from a few different recipes. I might add, this is super healthy, and SUPER delicious! Though on a plate it doesn't look like much, this meal is packed with protein and is very filling. You get 5 servings of vegetables, complete proteins, whole grains, cheese, and legumes in one little package! It's a winner in my book!


Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
5-6 Red Bell Peppers
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 medium to large zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3/4 cup drained diced canned tomatoes (or halved fresh cherry tomatoes)
1 15oz can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained.
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium pot, soak quinoa in warm water for 5 minutes, then drain. Bring vegetable broth and the quinoa to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Meanwhile, cut 1/2 inch off the tops of the washed peppers and take out the seeds and the white membranes. Place peppers upright in a lightly sprayed baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Spray a large non stick skillet with cooking spray and saute onions on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and carrots and saute until soft. Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, salt and oregano and stir a few more minutes. Turn off the heat, toss in the feta cheese and add the quinoa. Mix well and stuff the peppers with the mixture. Bake for 15 minutes on 350. Enjoy!

Oh and for dessert, we had "homemade" (Trader Joes Mix) brownies with peanut butter drizzled through the middle, served with coffe bean ice cream. I would have posted a picture if I had thought about taking a picture before it was all gone! Sorry.

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