Healthy Chicks

I went home to Connecticut for the day to celebrate my mom’s birthday. We headed to the grocery store after some fabulous apple-picking and what do you know: she was picking up ingredients to make one of my very own recipes. Wow I’m famous (or just let me think that for a day). My mom making one of my recipes? Wow, that feels good. Anyway, these stuffed peppers suffice for a meal on their own or can be served with a side salad or extra veggies. Enjoy…it’s definitely a fall favorite!

*serves 2

-2 red bell peppers

-6 oz. lean ground turkey

-1 c. cooked quinoa (may substitute brown rice)

-1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped

-1/2 c. black beans (optional)

-2 small Roma tomatoes, diced

-1 c. spinach

-1/2 c. organic Marinara sauce

-1 clove garlic, crushed

-1 tsp. basil

-1 tsp. parsley

-1/4 c fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

-2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for cooking)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat  a medium skillet with olive oil, and cook turkey burger until lightly browned. Add in your vegetables (aside from the peppers and black beans if you choose to use them), and cook on medium heat.

2. In the meantime, cook quinoa (or brown rice) according to directions.

3. Once veggies are cooked, add in the Marinara sauce, crushed garlic, parsley, basil and optional beans. Cook on low heat. Lastly, stir in the quinoa.

4. Cut the top off peppers, and remove seeds. Stuff with mixture, and top each with the shredded mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake the peppers for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!