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Courtesy of Brick Works Brewing and Eats
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October is National Vegetarian Awareness Month, so over the next few weeks we’re sharing some meat-free recipes we think you’ll enjoy. An extra dose of veggies always does a body good!
Mediterranean Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
Courtesy of chef Jacob Ringold
Ingredients for filling:
- 2 medium-large peppers (tops sliced; seeds removed)
- 1 cup of quinoa
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon capers, rinsed (rinsing wash off excess saltiness)
- 2 black olives, sliced
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- Zest of one whole lemon (then set lemon aside to use juice)
- 2 tablespoons parsley, freshly chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
To prepare peppers and quinoa:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring two cups of water to a boil.
Place peppers on a sheet tray. Cook for 7–8 eight minutes or until soft to the touch.
While the peppers are softening in the oven, add quinoa to the boiling water. Bring to a boil, then place on low heat, simmering for 12–15 minutes or until you see the quinoa start to blossom and absorb all the water.
Take out peppers and set aside. Drain quinoa and set aside to cool.
To make quinoa filling:
Add the cherry tomatoes, capers, olives, red onion, lemon zest and parsley to the room-temperature quinoa. Squeeze in the lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Set aside for five minutes to let the flavors infuse.
Ingredients for smoked tomato sauce:
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 12 ounces of your favorite beer
- 1 can (12 ounces) of whole peeled plum tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes recommended)
- 2 medium-size smoked tomatoes (or, if you don’t have access to a smoker, 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke)
- Salt and pepper to taste
To make sauce:
Sauté garlic and onion until the onion becomes translucent.
Deglaze garlic and onion with beer. Add plum tomatoes and smoked tomatoes (or liquid smoke).
Cook on low to medium heat for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding salt and pepper to taste.
To pull everything together:
Keep oven at 350 degrees F. Stuff each pepper to the top with the quinoa mixture. Put peppers back into the oven for 10 minutes, or until they start to change color.
Remove peppers from oven, drizzle the tomato sauce on top (and, we recommend a little extra on the plate for dipping), and enjoy!
RELATED: These (Vegan!) Apple Cider Cookies Are Perfect for Fall
