Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Holy cow were these poblano peppers good. They reminded me of the "traditional" stuffed pepper, but oh so much better. The flavor was amazing and I will definitely be making these again.

You can serve these as a side dish or a main dish. I served it as a main dish and it made 3 servings, but as a side dish it would make 6 servings. Also keep in mind the size of your poblano peppers will determine how many you can fill. It could be anywhere between 2 and 4 peppers.

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Ingredients:

Stuffed Peppers

• 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1/2 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 3 poblano peppers
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Avocado Cream Sauce

• 1 large ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 lime, juiced

Directions:

1. Add the whole canned tomatoes, garlic and chipotle pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a medium saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat add olive oil.
4. When olive oil is heated add the onions and bell peppers and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the roma tomatoes and cook until it breaks down, about 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the beans, quinoa and chili powder.
7. Turn off heat and mix in green onions.
8. Preheat oven to 400º F.
9. Cut poblano peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
10. Stuff the peppers with the quinoa mixture.
11. Put half of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
12. Place the peppers in the baking dish and cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle the peppers with cheese.
13. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
14. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the peppers are very soft.
15. While the peppers are cooking, add the avocado, Greek yogurt, and the juice of lime to a food processor and process until smooth.
16. When peppers are done top with avocado sauce.

Enjoy!!!

Serves: 3
Calories: 543
Total Fat: 24.2g
   Saturated: 4.8g
   Polyunsaturated: 1g
   Monounsaturated: 11.7g
   Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 20mg
Sodium: 560.8mg
Potassium: 571mg
Total Carbs: 59.2g
   Dietary Fiber: 19g
   Sugars: 7.6g
Protein: 23.5g
Vitamin A: 38.4%
Vitamin C: 168.5%
Calcium: 27.9%
Iron: 23.6%
*The nutritional information will vary slightly depending on the brands you use.
*Adapted from Food Network.

Enjoy!!!