Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

So it's been a minute. I blame it on lack of creative inspiration, sports schedules and the beginning of summer when we are all so overly eager to BBQ after a long winter!

I spent some time this weekend on trying to come up with some dinners that had a little more creativity than chicken cutlets!

One of the recipes I thought about was stuffed peppers which I used to make a long time ago (pre-kids).  I thought of trying to make them a bit healthier but still flavorful so this is what I came up with:

 

Heat oven to 350.  Buy a packaged Quinoa mix (I used one flavored with garlic and herbs) and cook based on the directions on the package.  In the meantime heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan, add a small diced onion and 1 pound of ground chicken (although any ground meat will work).  Add in 1 can drained and rinsed black beans and 1 can drained and rinsed corn.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder.  Add in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and 1 diced jalapeno pepper. 

Stir in the quinoa mixture until all ingredients are blended together.

Cut the tops off of 6 red bell peppers and line in a shallow baking dish. Stuff each pepper with the meat mixture.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

 Great one pot dish!