As of late, my one-track mind has been thinking of little else in the culinary world but pumpkins. But yesterday when I was at the produce store, staring at the pumpkins, none of them jumped out at me. Still, I was thinking how much I would like to have tiny pumpkins I could carve out and use as soup bowls, an idea my mother once did.
Then it dawned on me! I could do it with bell peppers. Certainly bell peppers are not pumpkins, but they are delicious. I wasn’t sure exactly where to begin, especially since I tend to be such a by-the-book cook, and browsing the blogs of others certainly didn’t give me anything solid. Instead, I decided to use up ingredients that I found to be tasty and convenient, and let my gut (and my taste-buds) guide me.
Directions:
-Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to instructions.
-Chop up ingredients (I opted for onions, garlic, spinach, and smoked tofu) and fry in a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil.
-Mix the quinoa with the frying pan ingredients, and add in salt, pepper, and spices (I used chili flakes and cumin). Stir a bit and allow them to simmer on low.
-Cut the tops off of your bell peppers and empty out the insides and seeds.
-Spoon the mixture into 4 bell peppers of any colour. Place the lids on, put them in a pan, and cover with aluminum foil.
-Bake at 350 F (~175 C) until the peppers are wrinkly, about 50 minutes. Check in occasionally to make certain they aren’t burnt.
-Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
