That’s a lot of coking time and I am lazy! I look for quick methods
often and so I do the quick blanch method
for cooking my peppers. It takes like 5 minutes or so depending on the
size of your bell peppers. I do them while the main dish is cooking and
hence by the time I want to assemble the food everything is ready to go.
You can add cheese to top this if you want to make it extra interesting
to your kids, but it tastes perfect to me as it is. With just 1 tsp of
oil, this whole dish is practically bad calorie free. Vegetables,
Protein, Nuts and Color. Looks and tastes appetizing. Go ahead and add
your own touch to the recipe – its v versatile.
Ingredients – Serves 4-6
- 3/4 cup Ivory quinoa
- 3 tbsp red quinoa (or simply use just one type, whatever is
available)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder
- 1/2 -1 tsp red pepper flakes (or as per taste)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4-1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 1/4-1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
- few sprigs of cilantro and mint for garnish
- salt to taste
- 4-6 colored bell peppers
Method Bring quinoa (both if using) and 2 cups water/vegetable stock to a boil in a pan. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until all the water is absorbed. While that’s cooking, alternatively in a skillet, hear 1 tsp oil. Add
cumin seeds and when they brown add the onions, garlic, carrots, bell
peppers along with salt. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes or until the
vegetables are cooked. You can speed up the process by closing the lid
which will create steam and help it to cook faster.
Add the peas along with spices and cook for another minute or two.
Next add in the Cooked quinoa to the skillet and give it a mix until
well blended along with chopped herbs. You can do a taste test and add
more seasoning if you like.
Meanwhile while that’s cooking, bring a large pot with water to a
boil. Chop the tops of 4 (or 6) bell peppers, clean out the veins/seeds
and place them in the water for 1-2 minutes or until they are soft. If
the bottom of the bell peppers are not level, chop a little from the
bottom so that they can sit. Once cooked, fill the quinoa pilaf into the peppers. Garnish with mint leaves and toasted almonds. Serve Hot. You can
reheat them in an oven too.
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