Roasted Stuffed Peppers with Kale & Quinoa

This is a favorite dish, and always a hit at family gatherings and other social events featuring food. It is fairly simple to make, and very rewarding when you are enjoying the fruits of your labor!

It takes me roughly 2 hours to make this, but that's because I'm not the quickest at chopping the ingredients, although I'm getting better! With more practice, it should only take around an hour and a half or slightly less.

Nutritional Information

• 1 serving: Calories 171; Carbohydrates 15g; Cholesterol 0mg; Dietary Fiber 3g; Fat 11g (Monounsaturated Fat 5g, Saturated Fat 2g); Potassium 285mg; Sodium 304mg

Ingredients

Peppers:

• 3 medium red, green, or yellow bell peppers (I prefer a mix!)


• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• Freshly ground sea salt & pepper, to taste

Filling:

• 8 ounces kale, (6 cups lightly packed), trimmed


• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 3/4 cup cooked short-grain brown rice, or my preference, quinoa (see Tip)


• 1/2 cup freshly grated vegan Mozzarella cheese


• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, divided (see Tip)


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

• To prepare peppers: Preheat oven to 400°F. Halve peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving them attached. Remove the seeds. Lightly brush the peppers outside and inside with oil; sprinkle the insides with salt and pepper. Place, cut-side down, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until peppers are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Turn cut-side up.

• To prepare filling:

1. Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil in a large wide pan. Stir in kale, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water; squeeze dry. Finely chop.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and chopped bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until onion is golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the kale. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in rice (quinoa), vegan cheez, 2 tablespoons pine nuts and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the filling among the pepper halves. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts.
3. Add 2 tablespoons water to the baking dish. Cover the peppers with foil and bake until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve hot.

• Tip: To toast pine nuts: Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. (Or spread in a small baking pan and bake at 400°F for about 5 minutes.) Tip: To cook brown rice: Place 1 cup brown rice, 2 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt, if desired, in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cover; cook over low heat until rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes. Makes 3 cups.

**Please note this is an update from an older post, which I had originally posted on my other food blog that is no longer around.