Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

My friend and I get together every week and take turns cooking dinner.  She's a vegetarian and I was running out of ideas.  I happened to find this one on About.com (by Fiona Hayes to be exact).  I found that the stuffing tasted delicious by itself, but when I ate it with the red pepper, it didn't seem as flavorful, almost like the pepper watered down the taste of the stuffing.  I plan on making this again, but minus the peppers!

I rate it 3 out of 5 stars

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Makes 4 servings
Only 3 WW points plus per serving!

Ingredients:

2 large red or yellow bell peppers, halved lengthwise, stem intact

2 tsp canola oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium carrots, diced

1 1/2 cups diced cremini mushrooms

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup chopped baby spinach

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Steam or simmer bell peppers in a large pot for 5 minutes until slightly soft (I just cooked mine in the microwave in a glass dish with a little water in the bottom).

2. Heat oil in medium skillet and gently sauté onions, garlic and carrots on medium-low heat until softened.
3. Add mushrooms and cook until soft.
4. Stir in cooked quinoa. Add broth, spinach and parsley and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Scoop one fourth of the quinoa mixture into each bell pepper half, packing firmly.
6. Place peppers in a baking dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with 1/2 cup of water. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until filling is hot.