QUINOA STUFFED PEPPERS

Quinoa, pronounced KEEN-WAH, was of great nutritional importance within pre-columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, and the United Nations has classified it as a supercrop for its very high protein content (12-18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete foodstuff. This means it takes less quinoa protein to meet one's needs than wheat protein. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also gluten free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered as a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long duration manned spaceflights.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 6 medium Bell Peppers, varied colors (choose flat-bottomed ones)
• 1 cup Quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups Water
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Green Onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 small Zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh Spinach leaves, sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh Oregano, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 ounces Cheese, shredded

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, carefully cut around bell pepper stems to create a hole large enough to remove seeds and ribs. Cut an additional half inch or so off the top; chop these pieces and set aside.


• When water boils, submerge bell peppers and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain in a large colander, or set upside down on paper towels.


• Combine quinoa and water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.


• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add green onions and garlic; stir for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir for another 5 minutes. Add pine nuts and cumin and stir for 1 minute, then add zucchini, spinach, oregano, and salt. Stir for 3 minutes, then add cooked quinoa.


• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set peppers in a large rectangular baking dish coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Fill each pepper with quinoa mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese over tops. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm.


• TIP: For the kids, we stuff baby bell peppers which they can eat in a few, quick mouthfuls.

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