Quinoa Stuffed Bell-Peppers

Stuffed peppers and stuffed tomatoes are the cutest dishes in the culinary world. They look adorable first, delicious second. While stuffed peppers and tomatoes usually have rice as the main stuffing ingredient, this time I just swapped rice with quinoa, and added some potatoes (to rope in some carb that the quinoa lacks!), some extra veggies, and Indian curry powder for some spice and flavor. Stuff all the hollowed-out peppers, top with cheese and bake for a satisfying meal.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a main dish):

1. 6 bell-peppers, their tops cut and insides cleaned (try to use orange, yellow or red peppers - they are mildly sweeter and more flavorful)
2. 1 cup uncooked quinoa
3. 1 potato, peeled and diced fine
4. 1 tomato, finely chopped
5. 1 onion, finely chopped
6. The tops of all the peppers, finely chopped (I found it amusing to stuff peppers inside peppers :))
7. 1 tablespoon curry powder /  Kitchen King masala (or spice powder of your choice; If using garam masala, add just a couple of teaspoons. A tablespoon will overpower the stuffing)
8. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil / olive oil
9. 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
10. 1 cup grated cheese (I used white cheddar)
11. 2 - 2.5 teaspoons salt, or as needed
12. 1 green chilli (add more depending on your spice preference)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 
2. Cook quinoa with 2 cups of water.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, saute chilli and onion till it turns pink and translucent. Add chopped potato, some salt and fry on low-medium heat for 10 minutes. 
4. Add bell-peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add tomato, some more salt, and curry powder and cook until tomato is mushy. Remove from heat and add coriander leaves and  mix.
6. Mix the curried vegetables and remaining salt with the quinoa. 
7. If you prefer, gently trim the bottom of the peppers so that they stand upright (I usually don't, but the peppers have never toppled). Stuff the peppers tightly with the filling and line on a greased baking dish.  Top the peppers with cheese and bake for 35 minutes.

Rest for 5 minutes and serve. The stuffed peppers taste even better after a few hours because the quinoa stuffing takes in all the pepper flavors and aroma. 

Note: There might be some left-over stuffing, depending on the size of your peppers. The stuffing can be had as is. My usual strategy is to double the stuffing so that I get more mileage (in the form of number of meals) out of one session of cooking.