What's For Dinner: Stuffed Peppers

{the stuffed peppers ready for the oven}

For tonight's dinner inspiration I looked to blogland. A few days ago Emily at The Front Burner posted about her stuffed pepper dinner. Since I had several peppers languishing on the kitchen counter, I decided making stuffed peppers would be a great way to use them up.

{a few of the colorful ingredients}

Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa and Black Beans
makes 2 stuffed peppers (with plenty of filling to spare)

1 cup quinoa (rinsed if necessary)
2 cups water
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tomato, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/4 cup salsa (I used medium)

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the quinoa and water to a medium-sized saucepot and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the water is aborbed.
3. Once all the water is absorbed, stir in the black beans, chopped orange pepper and tomato, taco seasoning, and salsa. Set mixture aside.
4. Slice the tops off the red and yellow peppers. Remove the seeds and ribs.
5. Place the two peppers in a small loaf pan coated with nonstick spray. Add a little bit of water to the bottom of the loaf pan.
6. Spoon the quinoa mixture into each of the peppers.
7. Place the peppers into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes.
8. When the peppers are done, cover each with a handful of shredded cheddar (or pepperjack) cheese and bake for a few minutes more, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

9. Serve each pepper on a bed of the leftover quinoa.

{served up and ready to eat -- and oh wow, DELISH!}