Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 8 large bell peppers sliced in halves horizontally, seeded and cored (or 8 zucchini!) 2 15oz can black beans rinsed and drained 2 cups quinoa (cook with 4 cups water) 2 cups rice (cook with 4 cups water) 2 cups mild red salsa (or 1 yellow onion and 1 ½ cups of diced tomatoes) 2 cups mushrooms 1 ½ cups grated jack or cheddar cheese ½ teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (or parsley) 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Olive oil (for greasing the baking sheet/dish)
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Directions: |
Directions:Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drizzle a little olive oil on a large pan or baking dish and use CLEAN hands to spread it around (this is so the peppers don’t stick when they cook!) Wash bell peppers and/or zucchinis. Slice the peppers in half horizontally and remove the seeds and cores. If using zucchini too, slice in half the long way and use a spoon to remove the center seeded area. Carving it out like this will make it look like a canoe! Place bell pepper halves/zucchini canoes open side up in the oiled baking dish/sheet and set aside. Now it’s time to make the filling!
Instructions for the Cheesy Chilean Stuffing! The ratio is 1 cup of uncooked quinoa to 2 cups of liquid: Bring 2 cups of quinoa and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
The ratio is 1 cup of uncooked rice to 2 cups of liquid: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add 2 cups of rice and reduce to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine black beans, quinoa, rice, salsa/diced tomatoes and diced yellow onions, 1 cup of shredded cheese, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Mix ingredients until well combined, and do a quick tasting to make sure it doesn’t need any more seasoning. Professional Chefs always taste their food as they cook to make sure it’s perfect for serving to their restaurant guests! Use a spoon to fill each bell pepper halve (and zucchini canoe) with filling mixture. Once each pepper is packed with filling, sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese evenly over each pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted. Plate and enjoy!
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