Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa, Spinach and Feta

Hey.... it's the New Year and all... so I'm not giving you any booze or sugar recipes for a while.
Okay?
C'mon, you'll make it. Don't cry.
I'm gonna try to be healthy all-l-l-l month.
Don't be a hater if I don't make it, or even if I do.
One way or another, I am bound to piss someone off.

I saw this idea on Pinterest. 
Why YES, I am "one of those" gals.
Love it...
Anyway, I saw this great picture on Pinterest, but when I clicked on it and tried to "pin it" to save it, but it was only an image, not a recipe.
Hmmm... why would anyone 'pin' an image of food, but not the recipe?
THAT is totally unknown to me.

So...
I made it up.
We liked it, and it was healthy too.
It's kind of ugly. 
You know I hate ugly food, but as my hubby says "ugly food is good food", so here you go! 
The above picture is before it was topped with cheese and baked for 45 minutes, and the below picture is after it was baked. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Here's the ingredients...

(I didn't end up using the Olive Oil in this recipe! But, I didn't photograph the Greek Seasoning I did use.)

Serves 2-4
Ingredients
4 Red bell peppers 
1 cup quinoa, dry
2 cups broth, or water
1 8oz bag of fresh spinach, shredded
4 oz feta, crumbled
1 lemon, zested
1 med tomatoes, chopped (or 3 small)
1/3 cup green onions, sliced
Salt & Pepper or seasoning salt, to taste.  *I used my favorite Cavender's Greek Seasoning
1/2 cup cheese (cheddar, jack, provolone or mozzarella)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, bring the water (or stock) to a boil with the 1 cup of quinoa.  Reduce heat to a medium and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until it starts to absorb the liquid and "explode". 

Meanwhile, slice the very tops off of the peppers, removing any seeds or membranes in the lower half.  I used some of what I cut off to add to my finished mixture. Chop the tomatoes, green onions, shred the spinach, and zest the lemon.

 

Add all the veggies, and lemon zest,  to a bowl.

Add the hot cooked quinoa to the veggies mixture.  Stir to combine and wilt the spinach too. Add the crumbled feta and stir to combine.

 

Stuff into the peppers and top with a little grated cheese.... some sort of melting variety (cheddar, jack, mozz or provolone) and bake for 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

As you can see, I only had two peppers to fill with the filling, so I added the extra to small individual baking dishes.  If you don't have a bunch of bell peppers, or don't like them that much, you could try this dish very easily in a baking dish instead.If you use individual dishes without the bell peppers the baking time will vary, pull them out when the cheese is melted and bubbly.