QUINOA-STUFFED SWEET PEPPERS

start to finish 20 minutes

Classic stuffed peppers get a fresh, fast, and light update. Start with prepared frozen cooked quinoa as a base, and just add gooey cheese, crunchy seeds, and fresh herbs.

•   1 qt. water
•   2 medium red, green, orange, and/or yellow sweet peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
•   1 12-oz. pkg. frozen cooked quinoa with vegetables
•  ¾ cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style four-cheese blend (3 oz.)
•   5 Tbsp. salted dry-roasted sunflower seeds
•   2 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil or ½ tsp. dried basil, crushed
•  ½ tsp. salt

1. Preheat broiler. In a medium saucepan bring the water to boiling. Add sweet pepper halves; boil 3 to 4 minutes or just until tender. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer peppers to a foil-lined 13×9-inch baking pan.

2. Meanwhile, microwave the frozen quinoa according to package directions.

3. In a bowl stir together the hot cooked quinoa, ½ cup of the cheese, 4 Tbsp. of the sunflower seeds, the basil, and salt. Spoon quinoa mixture into pepper halves. Top with the remaining ¼ cup cheese.

4. Broil pepper halves 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown. Just before serving, sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds.

number of servings 4

per serving 219 cal., 11 g fat (3 g sat. fat), 13 mg chol., 503 mg sodium, 22 g carb., 4 g fiber, 3 g sugars, 11 g pro.