Quinoa Stuffed Bell Pepper Cups

My name is Kayla, and I love to shop (and I'm writing this post as I wait for my flight to Melbourne). Buying something new or yummy makes me happy – shoes, bags, clothes, accessories, health foods, chocolates, teas, coffees,  and – not forgetting – cookbooks!! Yet the ironic part is that I hate shopping in stores that are crowded. What do I do? I turn to the wonderful world of online shopping. The world that spares me from the crowd. The world that saves me money. The world that gives me ample time to decide on my purchase. And above all else, the world that made me buy this cookbook – Meat Lover’s Vegetarian.

Some time back, my mom was thinking of new ways to make the two guys (my brother and my Dad) in my family eat more greens. My mom sought my help for some meat-eater friendly recipes, so naturally, I turned to Google. Somehow, the search led me to this cookbook, and I ended up buying it on because I found the title  fascinating. I remember being really thrilled when the book arrived, only to realize shortly that black and white, void of pictures. I left it on my bookshelf, and forgot about it until recently, when I was looking for some inspiration for the Cookbook Challenge this fortnight – Cups.

I would have enjoyed making some cupcakes, but the beauty of this recipe caught my attention, and I ended up making this instead – Quinoa Stuffed Bell Pepper Cups.  I have always drooled over dishes that uses bell peppers as  "containers", so this was certainly the perfect time to get my hands dirty. I’ve not tried the meat lover’s version of stuffed bell peppers, but I’d dare say that meat lovers will love this vegetarian version all the same. It’s gotten my family’s thumbs-up, so I will be making them again in time to come. If you’re a meat lover, I will give you a dare – try this recipe, and tell me if you like it!

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Pepper Cups 
Adapted from Meat Lover's Vegetarian
Serves 4

Ingredients 
1/2 cup quinoa (or rice or couscous)
4 bell peppers, sliced in half lengthwise without removing stems
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, diced
½ fresh red chilli, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped basil.
Salt and ground pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
1/2 lemon (optional)

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
2. Cook quinoa (or rice) according to package instructions.
3. Remove seeds and membranes of the bell peppers. Bring a pot of water and 1 tsp of salt to a simmer. Add the pepper into the water and submerge it for about 5 minutes, or until slightly tender. Remove the pepper and drain the water; transfer to a baking dish.
4. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the oil. Add onion and fresh chilli, and sauté for 2 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, carrot, greens, and 2 tbsp of water until the greens are wilted.
5. Stir in the herbs and quinoa and mix everything together until well combined.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Fill the bell peppers with the filling and sprinkle crumbled cheese (this step is optional).
7. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil over the stuffed peppers and bake for about 20 minutes 
8. Squeeze lemon juice over before serving. Enjoy!

Have you bought anything online on impulse before?