Eat Some, Freeze Some
Wow, I can not believe it is already March! Where does the time go?
I know you are busy. So am I. One thing I like to do to try to have homemade meals ready to go is to “eat some, freeze some.” I often make more of a recipe to have extras to freeze for a later meal. Try my recipe for stuffed peppers this week!
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. It is an easy replacement for rice in recipes. Pittsburghers, you can find quinoa at Giant Eagle these days which is awesome! Note: get creative! I have used kale instead of spinach, kidney beans instead of black beans, etc.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 Tbs. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
3 large carrots, grated
1 1/2 cups grated pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
Directions:
1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sautรฉ 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
So, what meals do you like to “eat some, freeze some”? I would love to hear from you. Post a comment belowย or on 
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