Spiced Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

By McDonald, T.  |  Date 24th of July 2023

Usually, I would stuff a pepper with rice, since I was on the lookout for something more protein, I chose quinoa.  Quinoa contains fewer calories than rice and helps to reduce cholesterol and has a lower GI than rice.

Notes on ingredients

• Quinoa, has a great amount of protein and iron.
• Red bell pepper, because it will hold the quinoa mixture and provides vitamin C, which is great because it supports the absorption of iron into the body.  You can use other colours, but red and orange bell peppers have the highest amount of vitamin C.
• Onion, adds flavour.
• Sultanas, adds flavour and sweetness, which counters the spices.  However, they are considered medium GI food.
  
• Flax seed, I added this seed solely to add omega 3 to the dish.
• White and cayenne pepper adds spicy flavour.
• Cumin, also adds spicy flavour, provides iron and helps regulate sugar.
• Turmeric, helps regulate sugar and gives the quinoa a beautiful golden colour.
• TVP, I like to add this because it adds even more protein to the dish. 
  

Serves 1 

Time, 30 minutes

Ingredients

• Quinoa x 20 g
• Red bell pepper x 1
• Onion, diced x 50 g
• Sultanas x 20 g 
• TVP x 2 tbsp (optional)
• Flax seeds x 1 tsp
  
• White pepper x 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric x 1/2 tsp
• Cayenne pepper x 1/4 tsp
• Cumin x 1/2 tsp
  

Method

1. Soak the quinoa and the sultanas for at leat 2 hours in 400 ml of water.  
2. Add the quinoa and sultanas with the water they have been soaking in to a saucepan. 
3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
   
4. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Add the spices and onion. Simmer for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and stir it regular because you don't want it to boil dry and burn or stick to the bottom. Add a little more water if you need to.  Remember that pretty much all the water should be gone by the time it is finished. 
5. While the quinoa is coming to the biol, cut the top off the bell pepper and remove the seeds.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 °C.   
6. Add the tvp if you are using it to the quinoa and simmer for another 2 minutes. The water should almost all gone by the end of the cooking time.  Take off the heat and allow to rest for 4 minutes with the lid on.
7. Stir and spoon into the roasted pepper and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
   

Results

Very enjoyable!  I have made this a few times now and look forward to it every time. 

 

I hope that you liked this blog and if you do try this recipe, please let me know how you got on and what it turned out like. You can leave a comment in the comments below.