Ok, not the prettiest meal, but darn tasty!

This recipe was inspired by my mom’s classic stuffed bell peppers, as well as Olivia’s recipe, and finally, Kevin’s love for all things quinoa. This is a veggie recipe that could easily go vegan with the omission of cheese – I’m 100% certain it would still taste fantastic but I had a block of Gruyere just begging to be used. This is another quick weeknight meal: it would probably be under 45 minutes for a good multi-tasker, but definitely less than 45 minutes if you make the quinoa ahead of time. Protein and vitamin-filled, easy and gooey delicious – how can you resist?

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 cups mushroom broth or water (I prefer homemade mushroom broth if it’s available, really amps up the flavor)

8 ounces mushroom of choice, sliced (I like the tastes of criminis)

1 zucchini, sliced and quartered

1/2 large white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese, optional (can substitute any other melty cheese you’d like)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

5 large bell peppers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place quinoa and broth into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until grains are soft and chewy. Stir every now and then, but no need to babysit (I love that about quinoa!).

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until fragrant, just a few minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini and saute until soft and just starting to brown.

Mix quinoa with vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper (although I like to go easy on the salt in this one – you are adding some cheese too, remember). Fold in Gruyere.

Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds, leaving a bowl-like shell. Gently spoon the quinoa mixture into each bell pepper and space a few inches apart on a baking sheet or large casserole dish (the edges help keep not quite perfect bell peppers from falling over). Bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes if you like your bell peppers a bit crunchy or 30 to 35 if you’d prefer them soft.

This is one of those "good no matter what mood I am in" meals.

When I talk to people about cooking a lot and eating healthier, the biggest complaint that comes up is a lack of time. And, with an hour commute (each way) to a 9-hour workday, I am quite familiar with this problem. As a result, I’ve created a new category which you can access from the drop-down menu on the right called “Quick & Easy” so that everyone can find ideas for fast, easy and delicious food to make on those nights when all you really want to do is flop on the couch. This is one of those meals and, can I say, really hit the spot last night.

Ingredients:

Quesadillas

8 tortillas of choice

8 oz. shredded cheese of choice (I like Tillamook’s kosher cheddar)

1/2 large red onion, diced

Olive oil

Salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 pint grape tomatoes, washed and sliced in half

1 avocado, cut into small dice

3-4 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Juice of 3 small limes

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat about one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent and just beginning to brown, about five minutes. I usually use this time to wash the veggies and grate the cheese. Relocate to a small bowl.

Reheat the skillet and place one tortilla flat on the bottom. Cover with one-third of the sauteed onions and desired amount of cheese. Top with another tortilla. Cook quesadilla until bottom tortilla begins to brown and cheese is melty, about two minutes with a skillet on medium heat. Flip and brown the other tortilla, about the same amount of time or a little less. While quesadilla is cooking, I like to chop the veggies. Repeat with the other two quesadillas.

To make the salsa, simply mix the ingredients together and season to taste. Serves 4 people with one quesadilla each topped with a generous dose of salsa. If you’d prefer a little more spice, some minced garlic and jalapeno would definitely liven up the salsa, but I was aiming for simple and good. This recipe could also be made vegan by substituting vegan cheese for the cheddar.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound dried beans of choice (as long as it’s something hearty and fit for chili, you use your own judgment)

Olive oil

1/2 large red onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 red bell peppers, chopped

2 zucchini, cut into half-inch slices then quartered

28 ounce can diced tomatoes

3 diced chipotle peppers with about 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (this made for very spicy chili, however, so reduce amount listed here and work your way up to a level with which you feel comfortable)

How beautiful are those colors?

1/2 cup to 1 cup water, mixed with 1/2 a 7-ounce can of tomato paste (vary amount of water based on how thick you want your chili)

3 ears of fresh sweet corn, kernels sliced off the cob

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pick through and then rinse beans. Cover with a good amount of water and let soak overnight. Be sure to put enough water in there; these babies plump up a lot (I know from experience, mine were a tad crunchy).

Next day, drizzle some olive oil in your chili pot of choice and saute onions, garlic, bell peppers and zucchini over medium heat until soft and fragrant. Add in beans, tomatoes, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, tomato-paste and water mixture, corn and salt and pepper. Mix well, then cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for about 30 minutes. For the vegans, this would be great topped with some chunks of avocado; for everyone else, sour cream or cheddar cheese would also rock.