Stuffed Bell Peppers
As I mentioned in my first post, I learned and fell in love with cooking as a kid at home. And by home, I mean with so many different family members. I picked greens with my late uncle on the patio, made egg rolls with my aunt on Chinese night, and often served as my mom’s sous chef. She even taught me how to make her version of these stuffed bell peppers. I have so many fond memories and lessons I learned, and not just about food.
More of My Cooking Background
The real test of my acquired skills came when I was 12 and my mom decided to go back to school. My dad worked full time and my two older siblings were out of the house. So that left me in charge of dinner for my younger brother and parents on Tuesday nights. And boy, did I take that responsibility seriously. It was my time to shine and even experiment a little. Whether I tried to mimic a dish I learned from a family member or followed a recipe from the internet, the wheels were in motion!
It is important to note, especially for this recipe that my younger brother is a seriously picky eater, and my father has high standards. So, cooking a meal that allowed me to be creative and still satisfied their palates was no easy feat. Honestly, some nights I failed, but then there were others when I knew I struck gold because their faces lit up AND they asked for seconds.
The Original Stuffed Bell Peppers
As I mentioned, one meal that I got from my mom were her stuffed bell peppers. She always used green bell peppers, white rice, ground beef, and our favorite go-to secret spice mix. She would cook the rice first separately and then mix it with the ground beef and seasoning. Then, she would top it off with a tomato paste and soy sauce mixture and bake. Instead of white rice and ground beef as the filling, we are going to take a different approach because of my dietary restrictions. For me, white rice causes indigestion, and I am trying to cut back on the red meat. So, I use quinoa and ground chicken. This stuffed bell pepper recipe is packed with flavor and not to mention it smells amazing!
Prep Work
You can start out by cooking the quinoa. For this recipe, I like to cook my quinoa with chicken broth. Doing so adds another layer of flavor. While the quinoa is cooking, grate the red onion, a bell pepper of any color, and the ginger. Grate these directly in a bowl to capture the juices; it adds additional flavor! Mince the garlic cloves, and finely chop the mushrooms.
For the spice mixture, together toast the cinnamon stick, star anise pods, whole cloves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and black peppercorns for 5-7 minutes. Once the spices have cooled, use a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar to finely grind. Then, mix in the salt.
Now, you can start browning the chicken. You can also choose to skip this step, but it will take longer to bake. Next, prep the sauce that will top off the stuffed bell peppers. I mixed together tomato paste, gluten-free soy sauce, sriracha, and garlic chili sauce. I didn’t use exact measurements for this, but I mixed it based on feel and taste. As for texture, I wanted a smooth, almost thin (but not runny) consistency. And as for taste, it was more so about controlling the spice level. The more sriracha and garlic chili sauce the spicier. If you want a slight kick add more tomato paste and sauce sauce than sriracha and garlic chili sauce.
If you decided to brown the chicken, cook the prepped veggies for a few minutes. Start with the onion, cook for about 30 seconds and then add the ginger and garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds to one minute, then add the peppers; cook down for another minute before adding the mushrooms. This process should only take 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Next, in a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, chicken, and veggies. Half the peppers and remove the seeds and then stuff! Top off the peppers with the spicy garlic tomato sauce and bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 20-30 minutes until the peppers are tender. Garnish with cilantro.
Note: If you decide to not brown the chicken before combining and stuffing, bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes, but cover with foil. The foil keeps the peppers from over cooking.
This meal paired wonderfully with a pinot noir! Also, feel free to serve the stuffed bell peppers with a green vegetable.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 grated red onion
- bell peppers (multi-colored)
- 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
- 1-inch knob grated ginger root
- 4 minced garlic cloves
Spice Mixture
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise pods
- 6 whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 6 whole black peppercorn
Spicy Garlic Tomato Sauce
- tomato paste
- gluten-free soy sauce
- garlic chili paste
- sriracha
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to taste. For this recipe, I like to cook my quinoa with chicken broth. Also brown the ground chicken if you want a quicker cook time. You can cook these two items ahead of time, if you like.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, finely grate the red onion, one bell pepper, and ginger root. Grate these items directly into a bowl to capture all of the juices. Mince the garlic, and finely chop the mushrooms.
- Make the spice mixture and the sauce, set aside.
- Note: You don't have to make the spice blend like I did. You can find a 5-spice powder blend products at your local grocery store that will have these ingredients.
- Cook the onion, garlic, ginger, pepper, and mushroom for 2-3 minutes. Start with the onion, cook for about 30 seconds and then add the ginger and garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds to one minute, then add the peppers; cook down for another minute before adding the mushrooms.
- Once the chicken is browned and the quinoa is cooked, mix in a large bowl with the prepped ingredients, minus the sauce. When combined well, stuff the bell peppers and top with the sauce.
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until peppers are tender.
- Note: If you do not want to brown the ground chicken before combining, bake the peppers covered for 60-70 minutes.
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