Stuffed Peppers, Americas Style

Total time: 40 minutes
     I originally made these with Minute Rice, then, when I moved and could no longer get it, I switched to regular rice.  Quinoa makes it so much more interesting and adds a meatier texture to the finished peppers - thus it's 'Americas Style' for both North and South!

 Ingredients:

• 6oz ground beef (mince), 175gr, 6.2oz
• 1 medium onion, 145gr, 5.1oz
• 2 ribs celery, 100gr, 3.5oz
• 2 cloves garlic, 8gr, .28oz
• 1 tbs olive oil, 13.5gr, .48oz
• 1 tsp chili powder, 2.5gr,.09oz
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce, 17gr, .6oz
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 can whole tomatoes, chopped, 425gr, 15oz
• 2 Tbs red wine, 30gr, 1oz
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 60gr, 2.1oz
• 1/3 cup cooked quinoa, 65gr, 2.3oz
• 2/3 cup stock, 150gr, 5.3oz
• 2 nicely shaped bell peppers, any color   I used yellow and green, 320gr, 11.3oz
• 2 - 4 drops hot pepper sauce or more...

 Instructions:

• Cook quinoa in stock until done. 
• Put a large pot of water on high heat and bring to a boil. 
• Cut peppers in half the long way (try to find the best flat sides before cutting so that they will lie nicely) and remove stem end and seeds. 
• When water is boiling drop peppers in and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove (use tongs) and put into a baking dish that will just hold them (if possible). 
• Finely chop onion, celery; mince garlic. 
• Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Sauté chili powder for 1 minute. 
• Add garlic, celery and onion, sauté until tender, 5 - 7 minutes. 
• Add beef and sauté until cooked through breaking it up as it cooks. 
• Add tomatoes, wine, Worcestershire sauce, basil, hot pepper sauce and quinoa. 
• Remove from heat and spoon mixture into the pepper halves. 
• Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 400F (200C). 
• Remove foil and sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Bake, uncovered until cheese melts. 
• Serve.  Keep any extra stuffing warm and serve on the side.

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Nutrition Information               Recipe serves 2            Entire Recipe / per serving Calories:   1244 / 622 Total Carbohydrates:   104 / 52           Dietary Fiber:   22 / 11 Total Fat:   65 / 32.5          Saturated Fat:   24 / 12 Cholesterol:   190 / 95 Protein:   69 / 34.5 Calcium:   920 / 460 Sodium:    1425 / 712.5

General Technical Details and Disclaimer:

Measurements are actual measurements used for calculation. If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/