RED BELL PEPPERS STUFFED WITH QUINOA

SERVES 6
This colorful dish makes a healthy and tasty main course for a vegetarian meal. Team it with a fresh salad of baby lettuce leaves. Serve hot or at room temperature.
1 pound orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
¾ cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
6 red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon chili powder
- Finely grated zest 1 lemon
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
¾ cup lightly toasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or cashew pieces, optional
- Extra-virgin olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes and cook in lightly salted, gently boiling water until nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
3. Cook quinoa in plenty of gently boiling water for about 12 to 15 minutes or until it softens (organic quinoa may take a few minutes longer). Tip quinoa into a fine sieve, making several steam holes through it with the end of a skewer, and leave it to drain.
4. Slice the bell peppers in half. Cut out seeds and white membrane. Leave stalks in place.
5. In a bowl, mix together garlic, cinnamon, chili powder and lemon zest with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
6. Add pineapple, sunflower seeds, cooked quinoa and sweet potatoes to dressing. Toss gently to coat.
7. Place bell pepper halves in a shallow roasting pan and fill each with quinoa mixture. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
8. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until contents are heated through and peppers soften and turn golden.

Each serving contains 343 calories, 12g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 244mg sodium, 52g carbohydrate, 9g fiber, 9g protein.