Roasted Stuffed Peppers w/ Kale & Quinoa

This was dinner one night this week and is now a recipe I will go back to again and again!  Wow it was so good and filling too.  Talk about nutrient packed food... quinoa, kale, nutritional yeast, plus the rest of the veggies!  Tons of protein in this one :)

I found this recipe online and was happy to learn how to roast peppers.  I did change the recipe a few ways otherwise... you can use these as tips for recipes across the board!

• Substituted quinoa instead of brown rice (quinoa is a full protein, like meat!)
• Just a bit of oil spray instead of the few tablespoons the recipe recommended (I don't see a need to add extra fat to my dishes and mute the amazing flavors of the ingredients)
• Steamed the kale instead of boiling because boiling dilutes the nutrients in vegetables
• Added the smoked ground chipotle pepper for a flavor and heat kick...I love this stuff!
• Substituted nutritional yeast for Parmesan cheese.  Nutritional yeast gives the dish a nutty, cheesy flavor and is packed with protein and nutrients!  It's also vegan :)

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

Peppers

• 2 medium bell peppers (any color)
• olive oil spray
• ground sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Filling

• 8 ounces kale, (6 cups lightly packed), trimmed
• olive oil spray
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 dashes smoked ground chipotle pepper
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• ground sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (use the "roast" setting if you have it).
2. Halve peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving stems attached. Remove the seeds.
3. Lightly spray the peppers outside and inside with oil; sprinkle the insides with salt and pepper.
4. Place peppers, cut-side down, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until peppers are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Turn peppers cut-side up.
5. To prepare filling: Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a large wide pan. Stir in kale (or use steamer if you have it), cover and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water; squeeze dry. Finely chop.
6. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray lightly with olive oil, add onion; cook, stirring often, until onion is golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
7. Add garlic, smoked ground chipotle pepper, kale and mushrooms; cook another few minutes, stirring often.
8. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
9. Stir in quinoa, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Divide the filling among the pepper halves.  If you have extra filling, set aside.
11. Add 2 tablespoons water to the baking dish. Cover the peppers with foil and bake until heated through, 10 to 12 minutes (still at the 400°F roast).
12. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve peppers hot over a bed of the extra filling.

Serves 3-4
Prep Time is 1 hour