Mediteranean Quinoa Stuffed Capsicums

Ingredients
4 red capsicums
2 cloves garlic finely diced
a few tablespoons of olive oil
1 brown onion finely diced
1/2 large eggplant, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup of quinoa  (I used tri-colour quinoa but regular will do fine)
1/2 vegetable stock cube
1 400g tin of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons of capers, chopped
1 400g tin of cannelini beans, drained. Mash half the beans with a fork and leave the rest whole
Handful of freshly chopped basil
Handful of fresh ricotta
Handful of grated parmesan

Method 

1) Prepare the capsicums ...
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Cut your six red capsicums in half and discard the seeds - if you like you can leave the green stalk on the end - it does look nice for presentation and it will also keep the capsicums together :)
Brush the insides and edges with a little olive oil and sprinkle with finely diced garlic.
Place on a baking tray and back in the upper shelf of the oven for 30 minutes.


2) Prepare the stuffing...
Heat a medium sized pot on the stove, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and saute the onion with some salt and pepper for a few minutes until soft and transparent. Add the chopped eggplant and oregano and saute for a further five minutes or until the eggplant begins to soften. Add the quinoa, vegetable stock cube, water, diced tomatoes and capers. Turn down to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When the quinoa is cooked add the cannelini beans and stir through some chopped basil.


3) Stuff the capsicums
Fill the capsicums with stuffing, top with fresh ricotta and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake in a 180 degree Celsius oven for 20 minutes.

I served this with a simple salad of mixed baby spinach and rocket, sunflower sprouts, finely sliced red onion and baked sweet potato with a dressing of dijon mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar and natural yoghurt. It was really yum!

Biss xx