Easy Vegetarian Recipe! Quinoa & Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Hi everyone! Meet my Editorial Director and health chef extraordinaire, Johannah Sakimura. I've coaxed Johannah into starting a monthly recipe blog on Joybauer.com. You will LOVE her scrumptious seasonal creations! xo Joy

Thanks Joy! I'm thrilled to share my latest kitchen adventures (the successes at least!) here on JB.com. I started working with Joy four years ago, immediately after finishing my graduate degree in nutrition, and developing new, healthy recipes is definitely a highlight of the job.

My passion for delicious food sparked when I was 7 years old -- while my friends were waking up early to watch cartoons on the weekends, I was parked in front of my TV soaking up kitchen techniques and gastronomic lingo from Food Network's Saturday morning program lineup (Too Hot Tamales, How to Boil Water, Taste...the true FN classics from back in the day). Once I was old enough to operate the stove on my own, my parents let me take control of dinner prep on weeknights, and that's when the (amateur) chef in me really took hold. Thousands of meals, hundreds of cookbooks, and way too many dirty dishes later, my all-consuming hobby has formed a natural marriage with my professional work in nutrition and health.

This month, I'm sharing a vegetarian update on a vintage comfort food: stuffed peppers. The ground meat is out, and in its place, I feature a hearty, protein-rich combo of quinoa and black beans seasoned with a smoky Southwestern spice blend.

Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Makes 6 servings.

1 tablespoon olive, canola, or grapeseed oil

1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced or grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup quinoa (rinsed if directed on package)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large bell peppers (any color)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained, preferably no-salt-added or low-sodium
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, preferably no-salt-added
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (may substitute regular paprika)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
3/4 cup shredded, reduced-fat cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté until the vegetables have softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the quinoa, 1 1/2 cups water, and the salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the peppers. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, trim the stems, and scoop out all seeds and membranes. Arrange the peppers cut side-up on the baking sheet, and mist the peppers liberally with oil spray. Bake for 15 minutes to soften the peppers. Remove from oven.

Add the black beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano to the quinoa, and mix thoroughly. Stir in the cilantro, if using. Divide the quinoa mixture evenly between the six pepper halves and pat the filling down to pack it into the pepper cups. Baked the stuffed peppers for 25 minutes. Top the peppers with the cheese during the last 5 minutes of baking if desired.

Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper half

Nutrition Information

Calories – 260
Protein – 12 g
Total Fat – 8 g
Saturated Fat – 2.5 g
Cholesterol – 10 mg
Sodium – 270 mg
Carbohydrate – 36 g
Fiber – 9 g