By Anjelica Michael
Photo courtesy of My Lit'l Eye.
Monica Thomas of Tailored Taste Personal Chef Service shared a recipe with us this week that she cooks for herself as well as her clients. This Certified Personal Chef said that this Caribbean inspired dish is, ” a healthy meat-less yet protein-packed entrée.” And for those who aren’t fond of quinoa, Thomas offers a possible alternative, “Toasted millet also works well in this recipe if quinoa isn’t your cup of tea.”
Island Quinoa in a Sweet Pepper
Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
-3 large red, orange or yellow sweet peppers
-¾ cup quinoa
-1 ½ cups water or vegetable broth
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1 tablespoon ground cumin
-Zest from one lime
-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
-Black pepper to taste
-Pinch or two of salt to taste
-15-ounce black beans, drained and rinsed
-½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
-½ cup cilantro, chopped
Preparation
-Cut sweet peppers in half from top to bottom and remove stem. Steam until slightly softened but not mushy (about 5 minutes after water comes to the boil).
-In a separate pot, cook quinoa in water or broth according to package directions. Be sure to RINSE the quinoa first in plenty of running water to ensure there is no bitterness.
-Heat olive oil in a skillet and add cumin, stirring to toast it a little.
-Add onion and cook until softened and aromatic.
-Remove skillet from the heat and add lime zest, lime juice and salt and pepper.
-Add black beans, chopped bell pepper and cilantro.
-Add quinoa and toss to combine well.
-Stuff steamed peppers with the mixture. Enjoy immediately or cool entirely and store for later enjoyment. (To heat – preheat oven to 350 degrees and place peppers (uncovered) in hot oven and bake for about 15 minutes.)
Nutritional Info per serving:
-Calories 244
-Total Fat 6.81 g
-Saturated Fat 0.91 g
-Cholesterol 0
-Sodium 175 mg
-Carbs 34 g
-Sugars 0 g
-Fiber 3 g
-Protein 9.73 g
-Iron 4 mg
-Vitamin A 753 IU
-Vitamin C 27 mg
To learn more about Monica Thomas and Tailored Taste, visit tailoredtaste.net.