Kitchen Diva's Stuffed Peppers, a la Tara Wilk

By tlwtheq

• August 8, 2014

---

Ingredients

4 red, yellow or orange bell peppers (I used a mix of 1 red, 1 orange, 1 yellow and 1 green)

1 tbsp canola or olive oil, divided

½ medium-sized onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (I save time and misery by using Trader Joe’s garlic paste)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

½ tbsp. chili powder

½ tbsp ground cumin

1 8 oz package Morningstar Farms sausage links (These are veggie everyone.)

8 oz chunky salsa, mild or hot (I use medium)

1 cup fresh baby spinach, rinsed and chopped (equivalent of half a 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed

and squeezed to remove moisture; but I prefer fresh)

½ cup cooked quinoa

½ cup cooked brown rice

½ cup grated cheddar cheese ( I actually prefer and use more cheese.)

(All the following are optional.)

1 large avocado, peeled and pitted, sliced

¼ cup low fat Greek yogurt

¼ cup finely chopped basil leaves

Procedure

1. Defrost sausage links in microwave, enough so you can break them into crumbles, then break them into crumbles.
   
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
   
3. Slice the bell peppers in half from the stem to the bottom of the pepper, but leave the stems on.
   
4. Cut away the white ribs on the inside of the peppers and remove the peppers’ seeds.
   
5. Put the peppers in a 9x13 pan and drizzle olive oil on top.
   
6. Cover the 9x13 pan and bake for 15-20 minutes so that they start to soften. It is crucial to do this first, otherwise the peppers can end up too crunchy. (Upon removing peppers from oven, empty any excess oil that may have ended in the peppers.)
   
7. While the peppers are baking, heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, black pepper and salt.
   
8. After around 3 minutes, add the sausage and cook for 5 more minutes.
   
9. Add the salsa and spinach and continue to cook for 5 minutes more.
   
10. Remove the pan from the stove and mix in the brown rice and quinoa that has already been cooked.
    
11. Fill each pepper with the prepared mixture.
    
12. Cover the 9x13 with foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
    
13. Remove the foil and sprinkle cheese on top.
    
14. Bake for 7-10 minutes so that the cheese melts.
    
15. You can serve with yogurt, avocado and basil!
    

Notes, Options, Substitutions

This is half a recipe as I clipped it, but there are only two of us in the house...even then we

have plenty of leftovers.

Source Dr. Oz show