Tag: clean eating recipe

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

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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!

stuffedpeppers

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and pour reserved liquid from tomatoes in the bottom of your baking dish.
  4. 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!

Olive Caprese Salad

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If there is one thing I LOVED in Italy, it was the caprese salads. I loved how fresh they were and a lot of time they served it with olives and flavored with delicious herbs to spice it up. This is an amazing recipe for your next dinner party!

caprese

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/2 medium)
  • 2 pounds medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup pitted green olives, halved
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced and halved
  • 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  •  1 tablespoon each minced fresh basil, tarragon, mint and cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel

Directions
1.In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from the heat. Cool slightly; stir in onion. Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, cheese, herbs and serrano pepper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lime juice and peel and remaining vinegar; pour over tomato mixture. Drizzle with reserved marinade; toss gently to coat. Season with salt if desired. Serve immediately..