Tag: quinoa

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Thanks to Tasty for lots of good recipe ideas. Here’s their Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe, with some modifications of my own.

Ingredients:
6-8 Medium/Large Bell Peppers – ensure they have a flat base so they will stand up when cooking
1 lb Ground Beef (or 2 cups cooked quinoa)
1 Medium Yellow Onion – Diced
1 Can Black Beans – Drained
1 Cup Cooked Brown Rice
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Jar Medium Chunky Salsa
1 Packet (about 2 Tbsp.) of Taco Seasoning Mix*
1 1/2 – 2 Cups Grated Cheddar/Mexican Blend Cheese

Optional: Guacamole and Sour Cream to finish

*To make your own Taco Seasoning at home: (note: makes more than needed for this recipe)
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Corn Starch
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Oregano

Directions:
Cut off the top and remove the seeds from each pepper. Place in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 350˚F (175˚C).

While the Peppers are roasting – heat oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add ground beef and season with entire taco seasoning packet. Allow beef to brown on all sides. Add diced onion – continuing to cook until softened. Reduce heat to Medium. Mix in the black beans, brown rice, corn, and salsa. Add in 1 cup of cheese and stir until incorporated and the cheese has melted. Remove from heat.

Remove peppers from oven and fill each with the taco mixture. Top with additional cheese and return to the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted. Top each pepper with a generous scoop of guacamole and sour cream. Enjoy!

Recipe: Warm Quinoa with pine nuts, olives and tomatoes

warmquinoaIngredients: 1/4 white onion small dice
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup black olives, sliced
1 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon No-Salt seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (omit if you don’t like spice)
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water for quinoa
Water for water sautéing

Directions: In medium size pan, on medium high heat water sauté the onion for 2-4 minutes until soft.
Turn up heat to high, add 2 cups water and bring to boil then add quinoa and seasonings. Stir until boiling again, turn down to simmer, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes.
Add tomatoes, olives and parsley.
Mix through.
Remove from heat and add pine nuts.
Serve warm as side dish.
Leftovers are great reheated or use cold on green salad. E
njoy!

Recipe: Curried Quinoa

curried quinoaIngredients:
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 clove garlic, diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup raw cashews Lemon

Directions: Cook quinoa per package instructions. In another pan, water sautee garlic, onion, and bell pepper for 5 minutes. Add all ingredients to quinoa and mix through. Turn off heat, leave covered for 5 minutes. Squeeze juice of half of lemon over the quinoa and serve immediately. Great with veggies, like roasted Brussels sprouts.

Recipe: Black bean and avocado easy salad

black-bean-avocado-saladMy life is crazy busy, so having good #healthy food ready to go is key to eating right. Here’s a simple yummy recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups grape tomatoes
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup cilantro, rough chop
1 can black beans, drained rinsed
1 avocado, cubed
1 teaspoon no-salt seasoning
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, store in air-tight container in fridge for up to 1 week (if it lasts that long!). For extra spice, add cayenne or tiny diced jalapeno.

Usage options: Great on green salad, add to quinoa or couscous. Or great as a side! Bon appetite!

Recipe: Apple Pecan Quinoa

apple quinaServes 8

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups red quinoa
1 apple small dice
1/2 cup chopped pecan
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup currants
1 avocado cubed

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare quinoa using directions on the package. Allow to cool on the counter top for 1-2 hours. Mix together all the other ingredients and add in the cooled quinoa. Serve as a stand alone dish, or on bed of lettuce with drizzle of your favorite dressing. We served on red leaf lettuce and Walnut Cinnamon Dressing.

Recipe: Quinoa and black bean salad

image

This lovely salad found on food.com, originally called for couscous, but I wanted to use the high protein option of quinoa instead. Super flavorful and we’ll definitely make again!

Quinoa and black bean salad

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked couscous (we used quinoa)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (water)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (none)
2 tablespoons lime juice (4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 green onions, chopped (3 onions)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (variety of yellow, red and orange)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained (1 can)
Salt and pepper to taste (very little salt)

Additional ingredients:
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 roma tomatoes, small dice

Directions… what we actually did:
Bring 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa to boil. Cover and simmer until water gone – about 11 minutes. Uncover, fluff with fork and remove from heat for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, cayenne and cumin.

Add green onions, peppers, cilantro, corn and beans, tomatoesand toss to coat.

Add the quinoa to vegetables and mix well.

Add salt and black pepper to taste. Eat immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serving size:
We didn’t have any other dish with this, so we ate it all. By the end of dish, we felt really full but satisfied with taste and full stomachs!

Next time:

  • Add other veggies, like blanched green beans, chopped snow peas.
  • Try other beans, like kidney, pinto, or garbonzo beans.
  • Remove onion and add diced mango for sweetness with the spice.
  • Serve in lettuce wrap style.