And I am back!

I am back, and I have big plans for this blog. Life has been crazy but I have begun to realize that life will always be crazy. That will never change, and I really wouldn't want it to. I love being busy. I love running in five different directions at once. I love the challenge.

What I am learning, however, is that organization and time management is still valuable in the midst of craziness. That being said, we are getting into a regular posting schedule. There will be at least three posts per week in this blog. After all, it's time to get back what I love most. I love to write, and I love to help people. The best way to do both, in my opinion, is through this blog.

So without further ado, here's the next installment. This recipe is vegetarian, clean, and still high in protein and delicious. As such, this recipe is not a typical stuffed pepper recipe. If you're looking for spaghetti in a pepper or ground beef or sweetness, look elsewhere. This recipe is decidedly savory, and it has a little bit of a kick. That being said, if you're willing to try something different, give this a shot. You won't regret it.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
3 large carrots
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 15-oz. cans Italian diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup cooked quinoa (I cooked mine in Thai infused chicken broth)
1 ½ cups reduced fat/light crumbled feta cheese
6 large red bell peppers, top cut off and seeds removed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using a food processor, grate the onion, celery, and carrots together.
3. Spray a saucepan with olive oil or cooking spray, and saute the veggies together until soft - approx 5 minutes.
4. Add spices, drained tomatoes, and black beans to veggies.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer five minutes.
5. Stir in spinach, quinoa, and feta, and allow to cook five minutes.  (I used this time to prepare my peppers.)
6. Fill peppers with mixture, and align upright in a baking dish.  Pour reserved liquid from tomatoes around peppers.  Cover tightly with foil, and bake 1 hour.  Peppers are done when flesh is tender.

Tip:  Once assembled, these could easily be made in the slow cooker.  Just put the peppers upright in a crock pot, and cook all day.