Recipe of the Week: Vegetarian Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

I came up with this recipe after scouring the web for stuffed pepper recipes that didn't include ground beef. It's delicious, relatively easy to make, and my five-year-old loves it (he's a picky eater lately, too).

Ingredients

• Four large bell peppers, any color
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 bunch fresh spinach
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil water in a large pot. Chop the tops off of the peppers (or cut them in half lengthwise); clean out the seeds. Boil the peppers for 5 minutes until they begin to become tender (but not too tender).

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package; set aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil and brown the garlic. Add the onions, corn, carrot and spinach (or whatever vegetables you want to include). Cook until vegetables begin to soften and the spinach has wilted. Add the quinoa to the skillet and stir until mixed well.

Lay the peppers out on a pan and fill them with the quinoa mixture. Top with cheese, if desired, then bake for 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot; enjoy!

Do you have a recipe you want to share? E-mail editor Jen Anesi at jen.anesi@patch.com to have your recipe featured as "Recipe of the Week."