Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Daniel hasn’t really been on board with the whole weight loss thing I’ve been doing.  Don’t get me wrong, the man is incredibly supportive and encouraging, but he didn’t really want to participate himself…until yesterday.We went and worked out together yesterday, me running on the treadmill and him lifting weights and doing the elliptical.  It was so nice to have company!  Afterwards, we went home and he threw away his beloved ice cream and we stepped on the scale.  About two years ago, we decided to lose weight together and one thing that helped us was writing our weights on our bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker.  We started that up again yesterday.  Except this time, my husband is taking physics, so he decided to convert his weight to Newtons.  For being such a “cool guy,” he is really a nerd to the core.  I love that man.

So, after we recorded our weights, we needed a healthy, filling meal.  Enter Stuffed Quinoa Peppers.

Oh my goodness…this pepper filling is so good!  It has just a hint of spice (just increase the cayenne if you want more!) and the rest of the ingredients meld together to make an incredibly delicious flavor explosion in your mouth.

Now, for the peppers themselves…different people like different textures.  I prefer to just bake the peppers, so they retain a lot of their firm, crispness.  I use a knife and fork to eat it and it is just perfection to me.  Other people prefer their bell peppers much more softened, which you can achieve by boiling the peppers for a few minutes before filling them.

And the kicker for me…you can make them ahead of time!  I made them the night before and just tossed them in the oven when I wanted them!  I sprinkled cheese on the top, because every stuffed pepper I’ve ever had has had cheese sprinkled on the top, but both Daniel and I agreed that it really doesn’t need it.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Makes 6 peppers

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 lb ground turkey, cooked (I used 93/7)
• 16 oz tomato sauce, divided
• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
• 6 bell peppers, stems and seeds removed