Because 2 days is never enough.

I got the most beautiful, large peppers at the farmer’s market and couldn’t bring myself to chop them up. Instead, I decided to make stuffed peppers, which I haven’t done in a long time. I was inspired by the quinoa stuffed pepper I had at an organic restaurant in Brooklyn Heights (they put tomato sauce on their version). The quinoa is a nice alternative to rice and can handle just about any vegetable you have lying around. I only prepared two peppers with the recipe below and had the leftover quinoa filling on it’s own the next day for lunch. This recipe is also easy to prepare ahead - assemble the quinoa and peppers, refrigerate overnight, and allow for an extra 10 minutes when baking in the oven.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

• 6 medium bell peppers (red, yellow, green or a mix)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (or chopped cashews)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 bunch of greens (sliced spinach leaves, chard, or broccoli rabe)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 ounces cheese (feta or parmesan)

1. Preheat oven 425° and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Cut the tops off the bell peppers to create an opening large enough to remove seeds. (Optional: Cut an additional half inch or so off the top; chop these pieces and set aside.)

3. When water boils, submerge bell peppers and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain in a large colander and set aside.

4. Prepare quinoa and 2 cups of water in a separate saucepan.

5. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sautee for 5 minutes. Add chopped bell pepper (otpional) and sautee for another 5 minutes. Add pine nuts and cumin and sautee for another minute, then add zucchini, carrots, spinach, oregano, and salt. Sautee for 3 minutes, then add cooked quinoa and half the cheese until mixture is heated through.

6. Place cooked bell peppers in a rectangular baking dish coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Fill each pepper with quinoa mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Replace the top of the bell peppers and bake upright for 20 minutes.

Serves 6