I love quinoa. It's such a versatile ingredient, that's packed with nutrients and is known to be healthy. I've cooked it a few times, and it's always been a great go-to salad ingredient. I find it's very filling, but also great for quick meals and meal prep. Avocado Quinoa Salad is a salad recipe I've shared previously, with quinoa in it. 
 
We've all had a few bell peppers rolling around in our vegetable drawer, and this is a great recipe to use them up. I won't go on and on about Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, because the taste and look says it all. 

Check out the short FAQ next, where I answer some common first questions, as well as share more suggestions on how to use the filling.

If you're new to my site, something to note is that I share the method twice. One with step-by-step pictures, and right afterwards, I share the same method, just minus the pictures.

FAQ

QUICK TIPS ON HOW TO COOK QUINOA

1. Firstly, let's make the quinoa. Getting the right ratio of water to quinoa is very important; too much water and the quinoa will be mushy, too little water and it will be dry or still uncooked. Cooking quinoa does take some practice and don't be afraid to adjust the timings. As long as the quinoa puffs up after they steam you're in the clear. Rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water for around 30 seconds, before draining well. Next, add the rinsed quinoa into a medium-sized pot, that's deep, and add the 1 cup vegetable stock (you can substitute it with an equal amount of water) and 1/2 cup water. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat down to medium, allowing it to gently simmer. Continue cooking until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, so for approximately 15 minutes (small amounts of quinoa will be ready around the 10 minutes mark; while larger amounts of quinoa may take between 15 to 20 minutes to cook). Once you see all the water has been absorbed, your quinoa has doubled in size and is soft, turn off the heat, keep the pot covered, and let the quinoa steam for another 5 - 10 minutes. This step gives the quinoa time to pop open, so it’s nice and fluffy. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork, I actually layer it out on a plate and I pop it in the fridge to cool down. 
2. While the quinoa is boiling or cooling down, prep the other ingredients. Dice up the onion into small-medium cubes and mince/crush the garlic. Add both to a bowl.
3. Next, cut the cherry or cocktail tomatoes in half, slice up the jalapenos, and drain the entire kernel of corn into the same bowl.
4. Once your quinoa has cooled down, add it to the same bowl, and give it a mix. 
5. Time to spice up your filling. To the quinoa mixture, add salt, red chilli flakes, cumin powder, lemon pepper, paprika, lime juice, and oil. Mix it all together till all the spices are properly incorporated with your quinoa/vegetable mix. You can adjust the heat level depending on your preference, adding more paprika or red chilli flakes if you'd like. 
6. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Slice the bell peppers in half, remove the seeds, and place them on a baking pan or even in a baking dish.
7. Mix your spicy quinoa filling one more time, before generously stuffing the halved peppers with the mixture until they're full. 
8. Cover the baking pan or dish with foil and place it in the oven for 15–20 minutes. Afterwards, remove the foil, increase the heat to 200 Degrees C, and let it bake for another 5–10 minutes, just until the peppers are soft and have browned on the edges.
9. Once done, it's time to plate. On top of each Mexican quinoa stuffed pepper, add some freshly sliced avocado, or a dollop of guacamole, drizzle with some Mexican Cremá (recipe here), or sour cream. The Mexican crema, or sour cream, is optional. You can skip it if you'd like to keep this vegan. Finally, don't forget to garnish with some freshly chopped coriander.