This vegan Mexican quinoa stuffed pepper recipe is topped with a creamy avocado sauce. These are a great weeknight meal and they reheat wonderfully for leftovers and meal prep.
We were planning to go to LA last week for Clark's birthday. For Clark's birthday and to visit one of our best friends. But that friend decided LA isn't the right place for him (neither was New York, where we all met) and so, he's going to move back to Louisiana – New Orleans, to be exact.
It's been over 2 years since I last saw him, when he threw us a fancy Christmas brunch/going away party. We gorged ourselves on really good cheese, quiche, waffles, and herbed sweet potatoes and then we got drunk on his couch while watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
I'm feeling bittersweet about our change of plans because it would've been a great way to celebrate Clark's birthday, we've never been to California, and both of us miss our friend, B.
But plans change and life has a way of cramping your style. And to be honest, I've always been a little more intrigued by New Orleans than California, anyway. Cajun food, anyone? Beignets? Hurricanes? 🍹
Now we get to explore NOLA with a native Louisianan who knows all about good food and even better drinks. I'm mentally preparing myself for the 15 pounds I'm certain to gain.
These things happen and life is all about balance. Eat healthy now, splurge in New Orleans, recover later. 😎
Really, how many different ways can you stuff a pepper? We've stuffed peppers with rice and goat cheese.
We've stuffed peppers with falafel-inpired filling. And now we're stuffing them with Mexican-seasoned quinoa.
What's next? Pasta stuffed peppers? Pizza stuffed peppers? Is this just winter talking?
What I love about these is that they're an all-in-one meal.
They're stuffed to the brim with flavorful, good-for-you ingredients and topped with a tangy-tart avocado sauce.
I couldn't even finish my whole pepper – and I'm a little ashamed to admit that. But the upside is that I ended up with leftovers. And we all know, leftovers are the best thing EVER.
These are great for reheating, packing for lunch, meal-prepping, etc. – they'll stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days.
AND when you make these Mexican quinoa stuffed peppers, 'gram them and tag your picture #thefitchen because we love to see what you people are making/eating!
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Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
Description
This vegan stuffed pepper recipe is loaded with Mexican-spiced quinoa and topped with a creamy avocado sauce. These reheat great for meal prep!
Ingredients
- 5 bell peppers
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup diced tomato (canned)
- 1 cup bell peppers (finely diced)
- ½ cup green chilis
- ½ medium white onion
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- Dash of cayenne (optional)
Sauce
- ½ an avocado
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon vegannaise
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (what's nutritional yeast? click here to read about it!)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium pot, cook quinoa with onion, tomatoes, chilis, salt, paprika, chipotle, and cayenne.
- Preheat oven to 415º.
- Cut off the tops of each bell pepper and remove seeds and ribs. Cut up what is left over from the tops of each pepper. Finely dice and mix into quinoa.
- Stuff each pepper with the cooked quinoa mixture.
- While the peppers are baking, mix up the sauce. In a blender or food processor, add avocado, lemon juice, cilantro, vegannaise, nutritional yeast, and sea salt.
- Bake on a foil lined baking sheet for 30 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro, sauce, and leftover bell peppers.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Main
Nutrition
- Calories: 184
- Sugar: 7.9 g
- Sodium: 476.3 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 6.8 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g
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