Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers & Quinoa Vegetarian Chili

I'm starting my food blogs off with a two-fer.  Vegetarian Quinoa Stuffed Peppers and/or Quinoa Chili.  I make the chili when I want a quick, awesome meal, and I make the peppers when I want to make an impressive looking (and tasting) meal.  They are gorgeous, I think:

I made some quinoa stuffed peppers once, but they just didn't have enough flavor or spice.  Then, I ran across this recipe for a vegetarian quinoa chili.  (The chili recipe is not mine even though the picture on the site is because I'm the one who submitted it.)  I decided to take the chili recipe, but instead of chopping up the peppers in the chili, I sliced them and stuffed them.  The picture above was from when I made them for my mom's birthday.  (And no worries, it satisfied my whole family of non-vegetarians.)  Here's what you will need:

Olive Oil
1 Large Yellow Onion, Diced
2-3 Stalks Celery, Diced
2 Carrots, Diced
4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Cumin
28 oz Can Diced Tomatoes w Juice
2 Cups Organic Vegetable Stock
2 Tbsp White Vinegar
1 Tsp Sugar
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1 cup Quinoa, Rinsed
14 oz Can Pinto or Black Beans (I use black)
1 cup Corn
About 4 Bell Peppers - Whatever Colors You Like - Halved
Cheese of Your Choice, Shredded

Here are the key players:

First, you soften up your diced vegetables with the garlic in oil.  In this picture I was making the chili, so my peppers are in there too.  It looks so pretty:

After about 7 minutes, add the spices and cook for another minute.  Then add the tomatoes and stock.  If you're doing the peppers, reserve some tomato juice and stock to bake them in later on.  Bring the mix to a boil, then add the sugar and vinegar, quinoa, beans, and corn.  Stir until it comes back to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Once the "chili" portion is done, place your halved peppers in a baking dish and fill them with the mix (get them heaping, but you'll still have extra, that's ok - yum!). Add extra stock and juice to the pan around the peppers.  (It should be about 1/3-1/2 inch deep.)  Bake 45 minutes covered with foil.  Then, remove the foil, top with cheese, and bake for 15 minutes more.

Here's a picture of the chili version.  Not as pretty, but still tasty:

Next, I'll share an actual recipe I came up with myself for an amazing vegetarian tortilla soup.  Mmmm Mmmm I do love spicy things :)