mexican quinoa stuffed green peppers

some nights quick and easy needs to be on the menu.

i wanted to share with you one of our go to summer meals, that is quick, easy & cheap.

this year has been a banner year in the garden for green peppers, even if you don't grow your own, green peppers can be had at the cheap - i am sure most of us already have a few hanging around in the fridge.

this recipe is one of the rare ones that i break out the pepper jack daiya for - justin, well he likes his plain.

quinoa is a pretty quick cooking grain - 10 minutes cooking, then another 10 sitting covered, until all the moisture has been absorbed. by the time you have all your other ingredients prepped and chopped your quinoa should be just about done.

fresh corn from the cob, black olives and cherry tomatoes are added to the quinoa along with a prepared salsa. sometimes i like to add spinach or swiss chard to the mix. but when i made this i was starving, sweaty from my workout and couldn't find the five minutes to trample up to the garden to snip some fresh swiss chard - shame on me i know, but these were still really good.

the quinoa is mixed with the veggies & salsa, then stuffed into green pepper halves.

some are topped with pepper jack daiya, others are left a little naked.

the peppers are then baked at 350* for about 20-25 minutes - overall start to finish this recipe takes about 40 minutes. this is a quick dinner for us- but we don't have hungry kids to feed. if you are looking for something quicker, make the filling and serve in a tortilla or over re fried beans.

i like to finish my peppers off with a few leaves of oregano.

2 peppers and a side salad make a pretty filling and satisfying meal.

it took a while for justin to warm up to stuffed peppers - he must have had a traumatic experience with stuffed peppers growing up

. i really don't ask cause' i want him to continue eating my version, which he does so happily.

so there you have it - mexican quinoa stuffed green peppers. our version of a quick and easy week night home cooked dinner on the table in less than an  hour.

do you like stuffed veggies in general? my sister and i love any stuffed veggie - what is your favorite filling or veggie to stuff? on most nights i spend about 45 minutes to an hour preparing dinner - what length of time so you shoot for from start to finish to have dinner on the table for your fam?

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

serves 4 - 1 pepper/2 halves per person

you will need:

1 cup water + 1/2 cup quinoa rinsed

4 medium green peppers, cut in half & seeded

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/2 cup black olives sliced

1 corn on the cob, kernels removed (about 1/2 cup)

3/4 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup prepared salsa

daiya optional but highly recommended

oregano for garnishing

assembly:

bring water to boil in a small sauce pan, add rinsed quinoa, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. turn off heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

meanwhile, prep your green peppers, corn & tomatoes - place in a medium bowl.

slice olives and place in bowl with rest of veggies.

arrange green pepper halves on a rimmed baking sheet, cute side up. add cooked quinoa to the veggie bowl along with prepared salsa, mix well. fill each pepper half with as much quinoa as you can.

top with slices of daiya - bake in a 350* pre heated  oven or toaster oven for 20-25 minutes.

garnish with oregano.

enjoy!