Test Kitchen - Quinoa and Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

I love these quinoa stuffed bell peppers! I make them all the time and they are so easy to customize. Since being put on this FODMAP diet I can no longer eat beans or eggplant, but they're still just as tasty without them. The leftover stuffing makes a great lunch all by itself, so I like to make extra whenever I make these. The recipe is vegetarian by default, but I decided to try adding some sliced salami (GF of course!) this time for some extra protein. It wasn't bad!

Quinoa and Vegetable Stuffed Peppers
(Original Recipe here and short how-to video here)

 Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa 
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (Gluten Free!)
• 3 large bell peppers, mixed colors, seeded and tops removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I use ~1 tsp garlic salt and then omit the salt)
• 1 red onion, chopped (I use1 tsp onion powder)
• 1 small to medium firm zucchini, seeded and chopped
• 1 small to medium yellow squash, chopped
• 1 cup corn (I like to roast it first)
• 1/2 package salami (gluten free), sliced
• Parmesan cheese
• Optional: 1 Cup Black Beans, Eggplant, Cherry tomatoes, Peas

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Drizzle the bell pepper halves with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Roast cut-side down until the skins begin to char and the peppers are just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temp, then arrange in a baking dish cut-side up. 
• Meanwhile, bring the quinoa and stock to a boil. Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the grain looks translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Then fluff with a fork.
• While quinoa and bell peppers are cooking, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic/garlic salt, onion/onion powder and roasted corn, zucchini, squash, and salami. Saute until everything is tender and golden brown, ~10 to 12 minutes. Combine with the quinoa when done.
• Once bell peppers are cooled enough to handle, fill each pepper with the quinoa and vegetable stuffing and cover with a layer of Parmesan cheese. 
• Reduce oven heat to 375 degree F and cook until the cheese is golden brown. 
• Note: This recipe is a great make ahead meal. You can stuff the peppers and then refrigerate them for up to two days. Then pop them in the oven at 375 F when ready to cook.