Quinoa Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water (I used vegetable broth to add more flavor and I would definitely recommend this)

2 red bell peppers

½ Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped (I also pealed the skin off and chopped them into pretty small pieces)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 cup chopped tomatoes

3 green onions, thinly sliced

sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring the quinoa and water or broth to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Lightly grease a small baking dish. Halve the red peppers lengthwise. Remove the seeds and ribs, but leave the stem intact so the pepper bowls hold their shape; place cut-side-up into the prepared baking dish.

Toss Chopped apple with the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley, mint, tomatoes, and green onions. Fold in the quinoa, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the cut peppers with this mixture, and fill the baking dish with about ¼ inch of water.

Bake in preheated oven until the peppers are tender, and the quinoa is hot, about 20 minutes.

*I put the two halves of the pepper back together after stuffing them and baked them closed, this kept the moisture in the quinoa. I turned the peppers over to bake on the other side for the last 5 minutes.

*I also used canned, stewed tomatoes, drained, and they worked great. I actually prefer them.