Inspired by one of my family’s favorite appetizers {Stuffed Jalapenos}, a recipe which I will share with you soon, I decided to stuff some mini sweet peppers that were leftover from a Cinco de Mayo fiesta at my son’s preschool. A variation of my quinoa “taco” salad {without chicken} was a healthy stuffing that was easy to mound inside the small peppers. The flavorful morsels are tasty raw but the peppers mellow as they roast, so I recommend baking them. I layered thin slices of avocado on top of the baked stuffed peppers to give them oomph in flavor, color and nutrition. The smooth, creamy texture of the avocado complements the quinoa perfectly.
These stuffed peppers are super quick and easy {especially if you prepare the dressing and salsa in advance} and they can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated, which makes them especially appealing for party food. If I’m really in a hurry and don’t feel like I have the time to make the dressing or salsa, I buy salsa at a local taqueria and season the quinoa to taste with several of the vinaigrette ingredients: {lime, shredded cilantro, cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt & pepper}. The minis are perfect for appetizers and party food, but if you are making them for a main course or hearty side dish, you can stuff regular-sized bell pepper halves, instead.
*I recommend making extra filling because it makes a healthy snack or meal on its own.
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to the package instructions
- 1 can black and/or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- Cotija or feta cheese crumbles
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 2 ears of corn on the cob
- 1 pound tomatillos
- ½ of a lime
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers
- For a medium spicy salsa, add 1-2 serrano peppers
- For a very spicy salsa, add ½-1 habañero pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-3 garlic cloves
- ½ of a white onion
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 1-2 Tbsp Canola oil
- ¼ cup chopped, seeded tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp grated lime rind
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp-1/4 tsp garlic powder, to taste
- Mini sweet peppers or bell peppers
- Shuck the corn and place the ears in a pan of water, just covering them with water.
- Bring the pot of water to a boil and cook for one minute.
- Cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let the corn cook in the simmering water until tender.
- Once cool enough to handle, use a knife to cut slice the kernels off the sides of the cob.
- Lightly coat a large pan with canola oil.
- Place the peeled garlic cloves, onion wedge, whole peppers and peeled and rinsed tomatillos in the pan.
- Cook the veggies on med-high for 15-20 minutes or until browned, flipping them so that they roast on each side. If they start to stick, add a splash of water into the pan.
- Place the cooked vegetables and the remaining ingredients into a blender and purée them until smooth.
- Cool the salsa to room temperature.
- Cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste if desired.
- Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the box.
- Rinse and dry the peppers.
- Cut them in half and scoop out the seeds. (Leave the green ends for look or slice them off.)
- Toss the chicken, quinoa, beans, feta/cotija and corn in a large bowl.
- Add spoonfuls of salsa and cilantro-lime vinaigrette to taste.
- Scoop spoonfuls of the taco salad into the pepper halves, using your hands to mound them in compactly so that the peppers are packed tight.
- Place them on a baking sheet and bake the peppers for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, until the stuffed peppers are lightly browned.
- Remove them from the heat.
- Layer sliced avocado on top if desired and serve immediately.
