Indian Spiced Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Today we are in Paris and will be heading to Brussels soon - so exciting! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you while I am away. 

I thought I would pop in quickly to share this delicious recipe with you. I made it a few weeks ago and can't wait to make it again when we get back home! It is so fresh tasting and incredibly healthy and nourishing. It is LOADED with veggies (aka my favorite kind of recipe). The veggies shine but the bold spices take this dish to the next level. 

When I originally made this, I was rushed and only had time to take 1 photo with my iphone - hence the not so great picture quality...womp womp. Next time I make it, I will be sure to whip out my camera and take some real pics of it. I have a feeling this dish will become a staple in our house :)

Indian Spiced Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Inspired by this dish from NutritionStripped

|Serves 4|

Ingredients

• 4 large red bell peppers
• 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 2 cups (no added salt) vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 small cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups sliced button mushrooms
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup diced zucchini
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (or more to taste if you like it hot!)
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare quinoa: Combine dry quinoa and vegetable broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy (about 20 minutes). 
2. While quinoa is cooking, saute onion, garlic, mushrooms, corn, zucchini, and corn in coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium-medium high heat for about 5 minutes. 
3. Add all the spices to vegetable mix and continue heating until vegetables are soft. 
4. Add filling mixture to a food processor and lightly pulse until all the chunks of vegetables are small and uniform. 
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked quinoa, spiced vegetable filling mixture, and fresh spinach until combined. 
6. Rinse red peppers and cut the top off the peppers (close to the top). Remove the seeds and "ribs" of the pepper. 
7. Now it is time to assemble. Simply spoon the quinoa filling mixture into each red pepper. You should be able to get 1 (or a little more) cups of mixture into each pepper depending on the size of your peppers. 
8. Stand the filled peppers upright and set in a square dish. 
9. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees (F) for 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes (uncovered) until the quinoa top is crispy. 
10. Enjoy!

xoxo,

Lauren

P.s. I wrote this post before we left on our trip to schedule for this morning and for some reason I can't figure out how to edit what I already wrote. (New-ish blogger probs). Anyway...I wanted to quickly update you on what we have been up to. Yesterday we decided to rent a car and drive from Paris to Mount-Saint-Michel. It was absolutely FABULOUS. We stayed the night in Cancale, France last night and are heading back to Paris this afternoon before heading to Brussels on Tuesday morning. Btw, Cancale is so adorable! It's a little seaside town on the English Channel and I can't wait to explore more of it tomorrow. I will be writing a recap post of our whole trip and will be sure to tell you all about everything! I have been posting once or twice a day on my Instagran account chronicling our travels so go check it out if you haven't already!