Recipe: Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Peppers (using tomatoes and chick peas)

MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA STUFFED SWEET PEPPERS

"This scrumptious, full-of-flavor recipe comes from my cousin Beth's daughter Becca Kidwell. The Kidwells are all foodies - and fabulous cooks. Becca is a professionally trained chef who ran her own catering company for several years before starting an organic edible gardening business with her sister, Sarah. Even your meat-eating friends will be pleased with this recipe, featuring sweet bell peppers stuffed with rosemary and garlic-infused quinoa, onions, tomatoes, Serrano peppers, garbanzo beans, fresh cheeses, and herbs. For a pretty presentation, I like to use orange or red bell peppers, adding a "pop" of color on the plate."



1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup vegetable stock
4 large sweet orange or red bell peppers, halved, seeded and divided
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2/3 pint multi-colored cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons diced fresh Serrano chile pepper, or to taste
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (4 ounces) cubed fresh mozzarella
1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine quinoa, rosemary, garlic powder, and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until all liquid evaporates and grain is soft. Set aside to cool.

Place 6 bell pepper halves in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. With a sharp knife, pierce the bottom of the peppers a couple of times and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Season liberally with salt and fresh black pepper. Set aside.

Slice the remaining 2 bell pepper halves into thin strips; quarter pieces and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the onion, chopped garlic, tomatoes, chile pepper, garbanzo beans, and mozzarella. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, basil, parsley, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste (around 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt should do it). Stir in the cooled quinoa and mix well.

Spoon a heaping amount of quinoa stuffing into each pepper half and transfer to baking dish. Any leftover stuffing can be sprinkled in the pan or tucked into corners of the dish. Top each pepper with approximately 1 tablespoon of Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake about 35 to 45 minutes, until bubbly hot and the cheese on top is golden brown. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

TO MAKE AHEAD:
Peppers can be assembled, but not baked, earlier in the day, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking, or increase cook time by around 10 minutes.

Makes 6 servings
Source: Fresh Tastes from a Well-Seasoned Kitchen by Lee Clayton Roper (MLC Publishing, November 2015)