The Kitchen Diva's Energy-boosting Stuffed Bell Peppers

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 8 red bell peppers (or a mixture, about 4 pounds) or 8 yellow bell peppers (or a mixture, about 4 pounds) or 8 orange bell peppers (or a mixture, about 4 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 16 ounces italian turkey sausage (removed from casing) or 16 ounces lean ground turkey
• 16 ounces chunky salsa
• 2 cups baby spinach (rinsed and chopped or use 10 ounces frozen spinach that is thawed and squeezed to remove moisture)
• 1 cup quinoa (cooked)
• 1 cup brown rice (cooked)
• 1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese
• 2 large avocados, peeled and pit removed and sliced
• 1/2 cup low-fat greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, finely chopped

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 375.
• 2 cut the peppers in half lengthwise, slicing from the stem to the bottoms, leaving the stems intact.
• 3 remove the pithy ribs near stern and down length of inside.
• 4 place the peppers in a shallow 13x9 inch baking dish.
• 5 drizzle the peppers with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
• 6 cover the dish with foil, and bake the peppers 15 to 20 minutes, until they start to soften.
• 7 meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• 8 add the onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin and cook until all vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.
• 9 add the sausage to the skillet.
• 10 cook, breaking it up with a slotted spoon or potato masher, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• 11 add the salsa and the spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• 12 remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cooked brown rice and quinoa.
• 13 carefully fill the pepper halves with the turkey mixture.
• 14 cover the dish with foil, and bake until the filling is hot and the peppers are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• 15 remove foil, and sprinkle the cheese over the top of the peppers.
• 16 return to oven and bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 7 to 10 minutes.
• 17 top the peppers with a heaping tablespoon of the yogurt.
• 18 place slices of the avocado on top of each pepper.
• 19 sprinkle with the basil.
• 20 serve immediately.