Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

For the peppers:

Start by placing an oven rack in the center of the oven. Turn on the oven to 375F.

Now wash the bell peppers and dry them well. Cut their tops off (save them for later), remove all seeds, and cut their bottom ever so slightly just so they can “stand” in the pot. Poke their bottom with a fork. Set them aside.

Cut the eggplant, zucchini, and onion in small cubes.
Peel and crush the garlic. Chop the rosemary and thyme.

In a heavy bottomed skillet heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant, zucchini, onion, and garlic. Stir them around allowing the vegetables to soften but make sure they still keep their shape (about 8 minutes – remember that they will finish cooking in the oven).

At this point you can add the following to the skillet: the red pepper flakes, dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, sweet paprika, ground coriander seed, and the dried quinoa. Stir all the ingredients together, add 1/2 cube of chicken bouillon and 1 cup of water. Turn the heat to medium low. The quinoa should absorb all that liquid and cook half way through (about 6 minutes).

Turn off the heat. Add ground black pepper to taste. Try the vegetables and decide if you need to add salt (the chicken bouillon is already rich in salt).

Now that the filling is ready, fill the bell peppers with it and put their tops back on. Place the filled peppers (standing up) in either a baking dish, or a Dutch oven pot. Dissolve the remaining 1 cube of chicken bouillon in 1 1/2 cups of water and add it to the pot or baking dish. Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil, put it in the oven and let it cook until the bell peppers are fork tender, this will take 45 minutes-1hour.

At this point, uncover the baking dish, remove the top from the bell peppers and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of each of them. Put the peppers back into the oven and allow for the cheese to melt. Turn off the oven and serve the bell peppers along with the Yogurt Basil Sauce (recipe bellow).

For the Yogurt Basil Sauce:

Add the Greek yogurt, light sour cream, garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and basil to a blender or food processor. Blend it until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve it immediately over the peppers or keep it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.