Back to the grind.  Spent the weekend brunching, laughing, and lounging.  I try to do bulk cooking on Sundays but I was a weeeee bit too lazy so meal prep day was moved to Monday.  Now I’ve got leftovers for all my lunches – perfect.

I’ll keep this educational piece short and sweet…  These recipes are super easy and the ingredients are good for you!  Yes, good for you.  The more variety, the better.  Think color, think antioxidants.  Lastly, these stuffed peppers are perfect for vegetarians – not only are they filled with varied vegetables but quinoa is a complete protein.  Not all complete proteins need to come from meat, poultry, or seafood!  However I wanted seafood so I put together the fixings for my favorite shrimp recipe.

Ingredients for the stuffing!

End result = stuffed peppers 🙂

Fried Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 4 colored Bell Peppers with the insides/core removed
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 whole egg
• 1 large yellow onion, minced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, minced
• 1 cup green onions, minced
• 1/4 cup peanuts, crushed
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 2 tbsp pineapple, crushed
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• SPICES (4-5 shakes):  Curry powder, tumeric, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, red pepper flakes, chili powder, and ground black pepper
• OPTIONAL:  Sea salt
• Coconut oil – enough to coat a frying pan

Methodology:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
3. Heat a frying pan with coconut oil under medium-high heat.
4. Add to the frying pan the following ingredients: yellow onion, cilantro, green onion, peanuts, carrots, and pineapple.  Sauté well for 5 minutes.
5. Add the quinoa, egg, spices, and salt (if used).  Sauté for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Remove the quinoa mixture from heat and stuff the pepper shells.  Place the bottoms of the peppers directly on the parchment paper and allow the insides to face up.
7. Cook for 15 minutes then set on a plate for serving!

So basic – just five ingredients

Messy yummy mess of ingredients

Coconut Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1# jumbo shrimp, fresh with the tails/shells removed (or frozen)
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juice (the size of a golf ball)
• Coconut oil to coat frying pan

Methodology:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Under medium-high heat add coconut oil to a frying pan.
3. Toss in the shrimp mixture and cook until golden brown.
4. Set aside for serving or add to the plate with the stuffed pepper – such an amazing combination.  Makes me want to go someplace tropical.

Mid attack with the knife then there was nothing

What else was on my plate?  I did add my usual staple of greens which tends to be either kale, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts.  As seen above, I added my Garlic Peppered Asparagus but unlike the linked recipe I did not add pumpkin seeds or Brussels.

xxx – Sarah