Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

This was a first time quinoa experience for us. We were scared, I believe I even posted a status on facebook asking if it was one of those super-good-for-you foods that tasted like dirty feet after they've been walking around the Renaissance Festival all day. Most of the answers I received were of the "it tastes like whatever you cook it with" response so I figured, eh, why not, lets give it a go, shall we? My husband was certainly a little leery, looking at it like I just pooped in his pepper, but he soon got over it. This was relatively easy to make but the one suggestion I will add in here is this: tone down the pepper however you can...it took away from the great taste nestled inside of it. One thing you will notice with my recipes is I cook a lot of food...main reason...I'm usually feeding 3 men and myself, and goodness can these men EAT!

Ingredients:

1 box gluten free quinoa (yields about 2 cups uncooked but recipe calls for 3 cups cooked...better to have more than you need than not enough, right?!)
4 cups water
1 (4 oz) can green chiles
1 cup sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chiles, mild
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (pshh, I used way more but I am a cheese-aholic)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
6 bell peppers, tops cut, stemmed, seeded and rinsed.

**recipe does call for 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro, but I didn't use it because my husband believes cilantro tastes like dirt...mmkay..It also calls for salt and pepper to taste but due to my kidney failure, I am on a low sodium diet and NEVER cook with salt.

Here's whatchya do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa according to package, usually the box I use says mix 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water, but hey, we're going all out so dump the whole dang thing in a saucepan and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 mins. The quinoa should be clear with the white germ ring visible.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, green chiles, corn, beans, Ro-Tel tomatoes, cheeses, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Here you also add your cilantro if you're a fan of it (which I am so boo, no dirt cilantro for me)

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with Pam or another non-stick alternative, then line those pretty peppers up, making sure the opening is facing up. Spoon your tasty mixture into each pepper, here I add more cheese, just at the top, and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is fully cooked, approximately 25-30 mins.

Serve immediately and enjoy thoroughly.