Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

If you're looking for a meatless main dish, this is a good one. The recipe comes from Moosewood vegetarian Restaurant in New York.

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a grain with a lot of health benefits. I found mine in the bulk section at our health foods store.

1 cup raw quinoa

6 medium bell peppers

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1 cup peeled and diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

1 cup diced zucchini (Optional)

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes, blended
1 1/2 to 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking pan. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse well under running water. In a covered pot, bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the quinoa is soft and the water absorbed.While the quinoa cooks, cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and, leaving the stems on, seed them. Brush the bell pepper shells with about 2 tablespoons of the oil, inside and out. Place them cut side down on the prepared baking pan and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened and slightly browned, but not collapsed.

When the bell peppers are roasted, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, warm the remaining tablespoon of oil and saute the onions and garlic on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onions have softened. Stir in the cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, carrots, celery, zucchini, and corn. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.Combine the sauteed vegetables and the cooked quinoa, stewed tomatoes and add salt to taste.

Turn over the roasted pepper shells and spoon filling into each half. Sprinkle each bell pepper half with some of the grated cheese and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.