Heart Healthy Stuffed Peppers

Today I am so happy to introduce Anne Papina from Webicurean. I met her in San Francisco a year ago and just loved her right away. She even was so nice and drove me back to my hotel because I didn't know the city and it was in a kinda shady area. Thank you Anne!!! 

So here is her recipe! Enjoy and please stop over to Webicurean for more amazing recipes!

These low-fat, low-sodium peppers are stuffed with a mixture of turkey, rice, quinoa, spinach, and salsa and are packed with flavor.

First, spray your baking dish with the olive oil spray. Then wash and halve the peppers lengthwise, removing the white pithy ribs, the stems and the seeds. Line these up in the pan and set aside.

Spray a large non-stick skillet with the olive oil spray, then sauté the onions and garlic until they start to brown. If they give you any trouble sticking, a quick splash of water or broth will fix that.

Add in the ground turkey, breaking it up as it browns. Once the turkey is cooked, stir in the spices, the salsa, rice and quinoa, and heat through.

Turn off the heat and toss in the spinach. Be sure to chop it up better than I did.

Pack the turkey mixture into the pepper halves so that they’re bulging. About a cup of filling. Then sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Bake until golden and the peppers are tender.

Serve with a nice tossed salad or directly on a fresh plate of greens.

Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers

 Author: Anne Papina from Webicurean

Ingredients: 

• 5 bell peppers (mix it up with red, yellow, and orange)
• Olive oil spray
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 20 oz package ground turkey
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 (12-16 oz) jar pico di gallo or your favorite low-sodium salsa
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, rinsed and chopped
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, and remove the white pithy ribs along with the seeds and stems.
3. Spray baking dish with olive oil spray and arrange peppers in the dish.
4. Spray a large non-stick skillet with the olive oil spray. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until it starts to brown. If the onions and garlic start to stick, add a splash of water or broth to deglaze the pan.
5. Add the ground turkey to the pan, cooking until lightly browned and breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in the black pepper, chili powder and coriander.
6. Next add the salsa, the quinoa and the rice, heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped spinach.
7. Pack the turkey mixture into the pepper halves so that it’s heaping, about a cup (see pictures). Sprinkle the tops with the cheddar cheese and bake about 40 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Serve immediately.

Notes

Save some time–cook the brown rice and quinoa together. In a medium pot, bring 2 cups chicken broth to a boil. Stir in ½ cup brown rice. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, then stir in ½ cup quinoa and cook covered for an additional 15 minutes. Turn off burner and let sit for 5 minutes.