Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

                          

These beautiful red peppers are stuffed with quinoa, black beans and sauteed vegetables. They not only look pretty, but they are filling, satisfying, and nutritious. Did I mention that they tate really good? Served with soup or salad, they are a meal.
I like to serve the outside of the pepper raw to preserve the vitamins and antioxidants, but I also provided a variation where you can cook the pepper, if you prefer. Either way they are delicious, hearty, gluten free and vegan.

                           
Ingredients

6 large red peppers
2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 can of black beans, drained well
1 large onion , chopped
4 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 more large can of diced tomatoes ( optional for cooking peppers)
2 carrots, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 bag of frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
Olive Oil Spray
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil spray for about 2 minutes. Add can of diced tomatoes and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add  diced carrots and zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and continue cooking for about another minute. Add spinach and cook until all is tender but not mushy.Stir frequently. Add quinoa and beans and stir until everything is blended well. Season and set aside .

Cut the top off of the washed peppers and clean out the insides. If you like the pepper raw, stuff it and it's ready to eat.

If you prefer the pepper cooked, then stuff the peppers and arrange them in a dutch oven pan. Add another can of diced tomatoes and some more lemon juice around the peppers. Cover and cook until peppers are soft, basting the peppers with the tomato sauce as they cook. Serve immediately.

These peppers can also be frozen .