Quinoa Tostadas

Today I am thankful for organization. Now, this thankful moment I'm having is two fold. I'm thankful for having an organized room, things put in their place, everything neat and tidy. When and if that happens-I love it! Its effort but such a weight off when all is said and done. Secondly, I'm thankful for event type things that are organized. When you have a group of people that are doing something, going somewhere, all pitching in on something...when things run smooth that my friends is a blessing. Because so often there are bumps along the way. So here's to being organized, getting organized or aspiring towards organization.

Okay, so for those who have come here a time or two, remember the Quinoa Stuffed Peppers? Well this is using the base of that! We fell head over heals for the filling to those peppers and this is the second go-'round that couldn't come any sooner. This time I went the route of a tostada. I bought some small corn tortillas which I baked in the oven till crispy, saving some calories from going the frying in oil route. The assembly line went as follows: crispy tostada, slathered with refried beans(from a can, I wasn't that ambitious tonight), sprinkled with lettuce, covered in the quinoa mix, and topped with a few slices of avocado. YUM! The crispy tortilla really did the trick. All in all, a great use for this. Four thumbs up from the Reich's.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Oh. My. Good food! So I'm not a mom yet, but I know I'm going to be one of those moms who quietly hides veggies in food unannounced to the little mouths that will eat it. That is unless they come out like their mama, aka veggie loving! This is seriously a dish that is jam packed with awesomeness. In my pursuit of all things nummy, I scour the web and the growing stack of cookbooks I have for ideas. This one caught my eye and my taste buds wanted at it! I've made stuffed peppers before, but this one takes the cake. The combination of everything in it seriously wanders close to the line of perfection. I used poblano peppers this time, I might try good old bell peppers next time...its just hard when they're so expensive. Not to mention I got some mighty good sized poblanos this week. On a spicy scale from 1-10 this ranks at a "I noticed there was something there". But we love ourselves some spice here at the Reich household. (So we topped it with a little chopped jalapeno!) We ended up with extra filling, I only had 3 peppers, so I'm freezing it to use for a burrito filling the next time we are in need of an insta-meal. And like I said before, check out all the great super foods packed into these delicious peppers...

INGREDIENTS:

4 or 5 peppers(poblano or bell)
2 tbls olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tbls chili powder
1 tbls cumin
1 teas oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
a generous handful of spinach
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup frozen corn
1 large carrot, grated
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup shredded cheese
salt & pepper

*Heat oil in a large pot, over medium-high. Add in the onion and cook for 5 mins. Then add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic and saute for about a minute.
*Toss in the spinach and tomatoes, cook off some of the extra liquids for 5 mins. Then add in the black beans, quinoa, corn, carrots, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a medium to medium-low heat. Simmer for about 20 mins or until the quinoa is cooked.
*Stir in the cheese and s&p.
*Take your peppers and cut them in half from top to bottom. Strip out the seeds and ribs. Stuff with the hot quinoa mix. Place in a baking dish with tinfoil tented over the top. Put in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 mins.
*Remove tinfoil and top with a little bit of extra cheese, place back in the oven for another 5 mins. Serve and enjoy to your little hearts content!