It is suggested to limit gluten and dairy to decrease inflammation in the gut and fiber to help with digestion. This is especially true if you have Parkinson’s Disease. Here is a yummy quinoa dish you can serve guests and still stick to a gluten-free, dairy-free diet.
Did you know quinoa is more nutrient-dense alternative to rice? For a 100-gram serving, quinoa has double the amount of protein (14 grams versus 7 grams) for approximately the same number of calories. It also has 2.5 times the amount of fiber than rice,7 grams versus 3 grams, respectively. Most plant-based foods do not contain complete proteins containing all of the essential amino acids like meat, but quinoa is a complete protein. This makes quinoa a particularly beneficial food for those who do not eat animal products. Plus, I think the flavor is better than rice.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 rainbow bell peppers seeded and cored
- Olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 15 oz black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 small zucchini chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 3.5 oz Non-dairy cheese (I like Daiya shredded Mexican blend)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Prepare the peppers: Carefully slice off the tops and remove the seeds and trim the core off the tops if you want to serve them with the tops on. If the bottoms of the peppers are too bumpy, you may need to trim them down so they sit flat in the baking dish.
- Drizzle a little olive oil in each pepper and bake for about 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Place the quinoa, the diced onion, and 2 cups water in a large pot with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook on low for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is soft and fluffy.
- Add the zucchini, spices, and non-dairy milk and cook on low heat for a few minutes until the zucchini is tender but still bright green. Add the Daiya cheese and stir until melted.
- Remove peppers from oven and spoon filling into each pepper. Place tops on each pepper if desired.
- Bake stuffed peppers at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Add more salt and pepper if desired.
If you want to add ground beef to this recipe, it still would be gluten-free, dairy-free. Just replace some of the quinoa with browned ground beef.