Southwest Inspired Stuffed Peppers

Stuck in a clean food rut? With a seasonal plethora of local produce, summer is a great time to experiment with new veggie recipes for cheap! Tonight I tried my hand at these baked peppers stuffed with quinoa, black beans, avocado, tomatoes, and corn. To add extra bang to the stuffing, I mixed in a really easy lime-cumin dressing.


This recipe is gluten free, vegetarian, and only 368 calories per pepper! Nix the cheese, and you have a vegan-friendly meal for 342 calories. If you want to make the recipe cheaper, just substitute brown rice for the quinoa. It's still delicious and filling!

Stuffed Pepper Ingredients:
6 bell peppers, any color
3 cups quinoa (or brown rice), cooked
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Dressing Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/3 cup lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder

To make the dressing, just mix all the ingredients together.

Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare your quinoa as directed on the package (I use a 2:1 water to quinoa ratio in a rice cooker). While your quinoa is cooking, cut out the tops of your peppers.

I used colored peppers, but green ones would also be good, just a little less sweet

Mix together the beans, tomatoes, corn, avocado, and green onion with the dressing. Add extra cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder to taste, and mix in your quinoa once it's cooked.

Stuff each pepper, using a small spoon to press the mixture into every crevice. Put all the peppers in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.

I had a little stuffing left over, so I just threw it into the dish.

After 20 minutes, garnish the peppers with cheddar cheese, then cook for another 10 minutes. Let cool a couple minutes, then enjoy!

Let me know what you think, and what you did to make the recipe even better!