quinoa stuffed peppers

i think this marks the first time that i've ever shared a recipe on this blog!  kind of exciting :)

i should do it more often, because i personally always love finding new recipes to try.

thanks to pinterest, i've been able to try a whole bunch of new things--this being one of them!

this is the one i based most of the recipe off of + from this one i was inspired to add zucchini (frozen from my garden last summer!) and shredded carrots.
gotta squeeze in as many veggies as possible, right??

i made these for dinner tonight, and they were a huge hit!  

definitely going in the recipes to make again folder.

4 peppers (any color!)

2 C. quinoa, cooked*

1 C. hamburger, cooked**

1/2 C. tomato sauce

1 C. chicken broth

1/2 C. shredded/diced zucchini

1/2 C. shredded carrots

1/2 C. grated cheese

seasonings to taste

I used taco seasoning, some chile powder, a little garlic salt + salt and pepper.

preheat oven to 400.  in a medium size pan, over medium heat, mix together quinoa, hamburger, tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth.  add seasonings and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.  mix in veggies.

wash peppers, cut in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds.  place in baking dish.  spoon the meat mixture into each pepper and fill to the top!  pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan.  cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.  remove foil and cover with grated cheese.  bake until cheese is melted.  enjoy!

*little tip: i cook a batch of quinoa in my pressure cooker and then keep it stored in my fridge for whenever i might need it.  this helps me throw it into a lot of dishes that i might not usually do because it's right at my fingertips.

*another little tip: i'm sure most of you already do this, but i just started and it has been a huge lifesaver.  we cook our hamburger meat right when we get it and then freeze it.  for meals like this, it comes in handy big time.

lastly, like i said earlier, i have found so many wonderful recipes on pinterest.  

i've pinned hundreds...and i'm slowly working up to trying them all :)  

if you want to check out which ones i've pinned, click here.

and if you what to see which ones i've pinned + tried, click here!