Vegetarian Stuffed Mini Peppers

By Marilena Leavitt

About this recipe:

These grain-free, healthy and delicious, quinoa & black been stuffed peppers have a Tex-Mex twist.

Ingredients

Rinse the quinoa well under cold water. Put the quinoa, salt and water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently until the quinoa absorbs all the water, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered with a clean kitchen towel.
Set a large skillet over medium heat, add the washed and dried peppers and dry sauté them lightly on all sides. After the first 2 minutes, add the Kosterina Everyday Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and continue sautéing them on all sides. This will take about 5-6 minutes in total and will make the peppers more pliable and easier to stuff. Remove from the heat and let them cool slightly. Once you can handle them, cut through the middle, leaving the stem intact.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Prepare the rest of the filling: Mix the red onion, black beans, corn, Feta, parsley, Kosterina Everyday Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and lemon into a large bowl. When the quinoa has cooled, fluff it up with a fork and add it into the bean mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add more olive oil or lemon juice if needed.
Take a heaping tablespoon of the filling and place it into the opening of each pepper. Place all the stuffed peppers into a small baking dish and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the feta cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the sliced green onion and serve.

Author notes

For a non-vegetarian option, you can cook some turkey sausage over medium heat until cooked through, and mix that in with the quinoa stuffing.