Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Today is January 6th, 2011.  It's been a long time since I logged on to blog on, but the holidays were here.  Easy, yummy, healthy, cheap over the holidays??  Please.  Not in this house.  The holidays are the one time of the year that I allow myself to eat, well...anything.  Everything.  I mean...EVERYTHING.  Out late shopping??  How about a 5 Guys double cheeseburger and fries at midnight to wake ya up??  Up late baking??  Nothing like raw cookie dough to give ya some energy.  Holy crap and good grief.  I ate it all.  ALL.  And chug a lugged some good wine in the process, too.  And gin and tonics.  And rum and cokes.  Yummy yummy yummy yummy.  But now the holidays are gone and with them went my waistline.  8 pounds.  E-I-G-H-T POUNDS!!  How does someone put on 8 pounds in one month?!?!?  I did it once before, but I was pregnant at the time.  Perfectly understandable.  Adorable even.  Aww...look at the chubby little mommy.  Can I rub your belly?  But 8 pounds from raw cookie dough and fries?  No one wants to rub THAT belly.  That's just gross.  Time to take control and get back on the health wagon.  I started with a bang and went vegan.  (For a day.)  Oatmeal for breakfast, a salad for lunch and quinoa stuffed peppers for dinner.
I gotta be honest, though.  Quinoa??  What the hell is that??  But after a whole wheat couscous disaster, some friends recommended I try it.  Try it??  I can't even pronounce it.  Quinoa...quinoa...quin-o-a???
I am a geek at heart and HAD to research this strange little word.  Here's what I learned...Quinoa.  Pronounced "keen-wa."  (Keen-wa.  Sounds like something you say in karate class as you karate chop your opponent.  Keeeeen-WA!!!!!)
ANYWAY...quinoa is actually a POWERHOUSE of nutrition!!!  I was blown away.  It's loaded with vitamins and minerals, and those very minerals make it an EXCELLENT food choice if you suffer from migraines (hello), diabetes (cousin Tim????), or atherosclerosis. 
Keen-waaaaaaaa?!?!?!  How can I NOT eat you????
I also learned that quinoa is not a grain at all, but a seed of a leafy plant.  That means...gluten free!!   Quinoa, you just keep getting better and better!!
BUT...it's grown in the Andes mountains of Ecuador.  NOW I understand the price tag.  What can brown do for you??  Those poor little UPS men have to climb the mountains of Ecuador, pick teeny, tiny seeds, and drive them all the way back to the US.  No wonder it $4.49 for a 12 oz.box!!  But I bought it and I WILL buy it again.  How can I not??  It used to be referred to as "the gold of the Incas" as it gave their warriors increased stamina.  Warrior stamina??  I want warrior stamina.  In fact, I'm training for a race called the Warrior Dash.  What better to feed a warrior in training than stamina seeds???  So I thank you, Michelle, Mike, Allison, Stephanie and Colleen.  I TRIED your quinoa and LOVED it.  Thank you.


                                 

 This Ancient Harvest Quinoa was the only brand I could find at the store.  It was in the organic section, and rather pricey, but well worth the money.  Did you know quinoa is a complete protein??  It is!  It contains all 11 essential amino acids and thus qualifies as a complete protein.  So.  Dollar for dollar, 12 oz of quinoa at $4.49  is pretty cheap when compared to beef or chicken!!  Well worth the money.  And the most delicious recipe for quinoa stuffed peppers is right on the back.  Bonus.  A recipe and a shopping list all in one.  I just carried the box around and filled my cart with dinner ingredients.  Couldn't have been simpler.

See?

I'll reprint it, though (with Ancient Harvest's permission) for those of you with old lady eyes like mine.

                            Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
4 large green peppers
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 TBS. butter
1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes (reserve juice)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 -12 oz jar Mexican salsa
2 TBS. dry sherry
10 oz. mozarella cheese, shredded

Pre-heat oven to 325.

Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water or chicken broth in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed.  (10-15 minutes.)
Meanwhile, steam 4 green peppers until soft, but not limp.

In a large skillet, saute the onion and mushrooms in butter.  Add the diced tomatoes (reserve the juice).
Add the crushed garlic and Mexican salsa.  Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Add the sherry and simmer for 10 more minutes.  Fold in cooked quinoa.  Place peppers in baking dish and fill with quinoa mixture.  This will take about half of the mixture.  Thin remainder with reserved juice and pour around peppers.
Sprinkle shredded mozarella over peppers and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Done and yum.

Again, I have to say thank you to my friends who urged me to try this grain (seed).  Positively delicious.  Just had the left-overs for lunch...mmm.