Are you looking for simple dinner party food made plant based but fit for anybody? Or do you just fancy a light, weeknight meal that’s both delicious and very healthy?
Either way, this impressive, hot and spicy Jumbalaya quinoa stuffed peppers recipe is going to completely satisfy, all you for not too many calories and definitely zero oils.
What Peppers Should I Use For Stuffed Peppers?
For the real WOW factor of this dish, you should use an array of bell pepper colours (all of which have different nutrients according to their colour). The beauty of peppers is their variety of colours and they can often be found in green, red, purple, yellow and orange in most supermarkets.
Choosing and eating bright colours makes your food very healthy and also very delicious. When it comes to bell peppers, the green variety are more savoury, whilst the other colours tend to be sweeter. They all seem to have their own unique flavour profile, which is another great reason to vary those colours.
How To Make Spicy Stuffed Peppers
Many people believe that vegan stuffed peppers are too fancy and difficult to make, but that’s just not true. In fact, making stuffed, bell peppers couldn’t be more simple, and they definitely look great on the plate too.
The easiest way to make these hot and spicy, Jumbalaya quinoa stuffed peppers is by simply cutting them in half lengthways, then carefully cutting out the stem and white sinew inside. A sharp knife will do this pretty easily, but you need to be careful not to break the pepper if you want your filling to stay inside whilst cooking.
That’s all the prep you need for your peppers, but you will need to cook your spicy, Jumbalaya quinoa filling separately first before you stuff them.
It’s then a simple matter of laying your peppers on a large baking sheet (or two, depending on how may you’re cooking for) and spooning in the filling. You then bake for around 50-60 minutes and you’ll have a complete meal ready to be served either alone or with fries or salad.
Bell Peppers Nutritional Benefits
The nutritional benefits of colourful bell peppers are many. And as stated before, it’s all in the COLOUR. Choosing a variety of colours gives you variation of the nutritional benefits of this wonderful vegetable.
Here’s some of the nutrients available in bell peppers:-
- GREAT FOR YOUR EYES – Bell peppers are very high in eye healthy carotenoids such as beta carotene, alpha carotene and lycopene. These carotenoids can help heal your eyes and can also help absorb that damaging blue light that enters your eyes from the Sun or computer screens.
- MOOD PROBLEMS – Bell peppers are high in vitamin B6, which can help your brain make serotonin. This in turn can help boost mood, along with other plant based foods.
- SLEEP – B6 also helps aid melatonin production, which the body needs to sleep peacefully and soundly at night.
- WEIGHT LOSS – Colourful peppers are low in fat, but high in fibre. This makes them the perfect snack to satiate you for very few calories.
- GLOWING SKIN– If there’s another fantastic benefit to eating peppers, then its got to be SKIN. The amazing pepper also contains good amounts of vitamin E, which helps keep skin looking vibrant and glowing. Vitamin E is also good for your hair, so that’s another aesthetic benefit too.
- CHOLESTEROL LOWEING PROPERTIES – Bell peppers contain capsaicin, which helps lower bad cholesterol. The hotter Jalepeno peppers that you will be using in your spicy quinoa have an even more powerful effect.
- CHRONIC PAIN RELIEF – These wonderful peppers are high in vitamin K and C, both of which help lower the inflammation that causes chronic pain.
Hot & Spicy, Jumbalaya Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Equipment
- Non-stick frying pan or skillet
- Chopping knife
- Chopping board
- Wooden spoon
- Medium sized saucepan
- 1-2 large baking sheets
- Tin foil
Ingredients
- 6 whole large bell peppers Try to find a different array of colours.
- 1 cup dried quinoa White quinoa is best for this dish.
- 3 cups hot water for quinoa Plus extra for cooking onions.
- 1.5 cup sweetcorn kernels Use canned, frozen or fresh.
- 1.5 cups green peas Frozen is fine
- 2 medium white onions Chopped finely
- 2 jalapenos (optional) Plus extra for garnish
- 2 tbsp Jumbalaya seasonings
- 6 cloves garlic Crushed
- Nutritional yeast for sprinkling on top (optional) You may wish to use grated vegan cheese also, but this may take away from the health benefits.
Instructions
- Set your oven to 170C (340F).
- Start by getting your quinoa on to cook with the 3 cups of hot water. Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- Chop your onion finely and begin to pan fry in splashes of hot water. Don't start adding water until the onions really start to brown, as this will add flavour and colour. Just add small splashes at a time after that to prevent sticking. Keep stirring. Add your crushed garlic and sliced jalapenos to your onions and leave the whole thing to cook down whilst you prepare the rest of your items.
- Meanwhile, prepare your peppers by thoroughly washing first to get rid of some of the pesticides if you're not using organic. Then chop in two lengthways, narrowly avoiding the stalk and cutting around it. Once your pepper is in two you can carefully cut out the stalk and any white sinew and seeds. This is a delicate job as you don't want your peppers to break. Have a pre-prepped, tin foil lined baking sheet to place your peppers on. You may need two sheets for this amount of peppers.
- Once your quinoa has been simmering for about 15 minutes, it's time to add your frozen, green peas, corn and Jumbalaya seasoning, plus salt and pepper if needed, to the pot and leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes. This should be long enough to cook down your quinoa, but some brands and varieties may vary and more water may be needed.You will need to check that everything is cooked before adding your onions. At this point you may need to add a little more water to the pot to stop the food from drying out. You want the quinoa to have no extra water at the bottom.
- Once your quinoa and vegetables are cooked, it's time to mix in your fried down onion, garlic and jalapenos. Check your flavours and add more seasonings and Jumbalaya if need be. You may wish to add some cayenne pepper if you want it more spicy, depending on your tastes.
- Now carefully spoon your mix into your prepared bell peppers evenly. Top with sprinklings of nutritional yeast if using, and pop in the oven to bake. You should let your peppers bake for roughly 50-60 minutes until they are charred a little and soft.
- Seve with a big salad, fries or sweet potato fries. Or, they are perfect and a complete meal served alone too.
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