Quinoa stuffed peppers

Serves:

Ingredients

2 large red peppers, halved lengthwise and deseeded
1 slice sourdough toast
110g/4oz/¼ cup quinoa, cooked to the packet instructions
1 lemon, juiced
2 spring onions (scallions), sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, diced
1 handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
3 tbsp capers drained and rinsed
50g/2oz/¼ cup flaked almonds
Ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 5. Pop the peppers into a roasting tin, cut side up, and roast for 12 minutes until very soft.

2. While the red peppers are cooking, pulse the sourdough toast in a blender until it forms fine breadcrumbs. Spread the crumbs in a roasting tin, and place in the oven for about 10 minutes to dry out.

3. Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions in a large pan. When cooked, take off the heat and add the lemon juice, spring onions, garlic, basil, capers and almonds to the pan. Fork through until well combined and season with black pepper to taste.

4. Divide the quinoa mixture between the cooked red peppers, then sprinkle the top with the breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

5. Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the breadcrumbs and quinoa are crunchy and lightly browned.

“I previously made this dish with rice, but it wasn’t long until quinoa stepped in and became my grain of choice,” says Edric Kennedy-Macfoy. “I eat a lot of quinoa because it has fewer calories than white rice, double the protein and 15 times fewer carbs.”

Recipe taken from The Fit Vegan by Edric Kennedy-Macfoy (£12.99, Hay House UK).

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