Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

The perfect dinner in is sometimes more fun than a fancy restaurant. Finding a new recipe and cooking for a friend or that special someone can be very rewarding. Since going out to dinner can get expensive, I usually try to limit going out and try to order in or cook a nice meal on Fridays then go out on Saturday evenings. Since this Friday is Valentine’s Day, I want to cook something delicious for my hubby but also healthy since we will be leaving for Miami in a few weeks and need to be beach-ready.
I found the original recipe on pinterest and made a few weeks ago and my hubby LOVED it! The recipe is from Eat Yourself Skinny. The only thing I changes was I used mozzarella cheese instead of Jack and did not have any jalapenos. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed, drained
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup Trader Joes Pepper Jack cheese
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and jalapeno for about 5 minutes, until soft, then add cumin and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in drained tomatoes (reserving liquid) and cook for 5 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Stir in black beans, quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup of cheese and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and pour reserved liquid from tomatoes in the bottom of your baking dish.
Fill each halved bell pepper with 3/4 cup quinoa mixture and place in baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Transfer stuffed bell peppers onto serving dish and drizzle pan juices over top. Enjoy!