Leslie's Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I have to be honest: I have never been a fan of quinoa (Keen-wah), couldn't pronounce it, and thought the taste was blah. Obviously, I did not know how to cook it properly.

My wonderful friend, Leslie, shared this recipe with me and now I can introduce you to a very flavorful way to use quinoa, that will satisfy even the omnivores.

Ingredients:

6 medium sized bell peppers
1 cup organic quinoa
2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 medium diced onion
1/2 lb fresh chopped mushrooms (I used baby portabellos)
2 cloves of diced garlic
2 Tbs butter, margarine or olive oil
1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 12 ounce jar of salsa (I used medium heat)
2 Tbsp dry sherry (I didn't have any, so I skipped this)
10 oz of mozzarella cheese (I used pepper jack Daiya)

Cook Quinoa in water or broth according to the directions on the package. Meanwhile, steam the peppers for about 10 minutes to soften them up a bit, while still retaining their shape and color. In a skillet pan, use the butter or oil to saute your onion, garlic and mushrooms until they are softened. Add diced tomatoes & salsa to the vegetables and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add Sherry and simmer another 10 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add quinoa to mixture and cook for a few minutes to incorporate flavors. Stuff the peppers and sprinkle tops with cheese, if desired. Place peppers in an oven proof casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. This recipe makes enough quinoa to stuff many more peppers, about double the amount. I spooned the extra quinoa around the base of the peppers in the baking dish, but could have easily stuffed about 4 more peppers with it.