Having one of those weeks where you can’t seem to get enough sleep and all you want to do is veg on the couch. At least I have a baby to cuddle with me. Anyway, I am not letting my lethargy get the best of my eating this week. I planned a few different meals including my favorite roasted broccoli and chickpea buddha bowl (click the link for recipe), walnut and cauliflower ‘meat’ tacos, these quinoa and bean stuffed bell peppers, and an Indian dish, haven’t yet decided on what but leaning toward Chana Masala (curried chickpeas). I also stocked up on pineapple and bananas to make gelato and nice cream, cause they’re delicious and I’m always in the mood for a cold treat.
I’m very lucky that I’m on maternity leave because we don’t have to meal prep like normal. That being said these would reheat fine, so they work well for meal prepping. I decided tonight to do this recipe by ‘winging it’. I didn’t look at any recipes prior to putting this together, I just used what I had in the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised with the result. Other than the bell peppers, I had tomato, onion, pinto beans, quinoa, jalapeño, cumin/coriander, chili powder, garlic, salsa, cilantro, and a vegetable bouillon cube for this recipe.
Why You’ll Love These
First off, who doesn’t want to consume more veggies in their daily food intake. If you’re like me, you struggle to get the the recommended intake everyday. By eating a stuffed bell pepper, you’re consuming one just with the holder for all the delicious filling. The interior is about another half a serving. It also combines so many different type of plants. We watched a documentary that said the more variety of whole grains and plant based foods you get a day can lead to better health. Well in this recipe alone you get 7. Mix that with a fruit and greens smoothie, and you’re 10+.
They are quite filling. I have this weird stigma about recipes that are based with vegetables rather than carbohydrates. Not sure what it is, but for some reason I never find them filling. That being said, these quinoa and bean stuffed bell peppers don’t disappoint. They will fill you up and keep you full. It’s a nice change from my usual bias that salads don’t keep you full. Thank goodness for beans and quinoa!
They’re seriously delicious. With a bit of heat, these Mexican inspired stuffed quinoa and bean bell peppers hit the spot. Not only are these delicious plain, any leftover filling would make a great nacho topping, or even taco filling. But make sure the filling is baked.
For other Mexican inspired recipes, check out this Vegan Salsa Chili recipe. This fresh salsa recipe is also awesome. You can use it in this recipe or on the side for tortilla chips.
Vegan Quinoa and Bean Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers
- ½ tomato, chopped
- ¼ onion, chopped
- 1 can pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ½ vegetable boullion cube for making quinoa
- 1 tsp coriander cumin powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ¼ cup salsa
- chopped cilantro.
Instructions
- Cook quinoa on the stovetop. If you need assistance, here's a stovetop quinoa recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- While quinoa is cooking, cut the onion, tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro.
- Cut tops off the bell peppers and remove seeds from the interior.
- Place on a lined baking sheet.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, measure out 1 cup and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the chopped vegetables, cumin coriander, chili powder and garlic. Mix together.
- Mix in the salsa and beans.
- Spoon the filling into the bell peppers.
- Any leftover filling can be baked on a separate pan and used for tacos or nacho topping.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
They are vegan! Unless you add cheese, these are vegan. Nothing better than some honest plant-based food. If you don’t care if they are vegan, throw a quarter cup of either shredded cheddar or mexican blend into your filling mix for some cheesy goodness. You could also top these with avocado, but unfortunately I cannot eat avocados.
Let me know what you thought of these in the comments below! Thanks for reading.
-Cassie 🙂