Hot & Spicy, Jumbalaya Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe
This beautiful and colourful, bell pepper dish is good enough to be impressive at a dinner party or just as a mid-week meal.
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.