I love heat, so this is the perfect recipe for me. But if your tastes tend more toward the gentle landing, you can skip the jalapeño and reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon, or just forget them altogether. The chili powder will still give you a little bit of excitement. For me though, I’m all in, which means that if my batch of jalapeños isn’t particularly hot I’m happy to use two. And that is why I’m just gonna recommend that you try this gorgeous fireworks of color all landing on your tongue at the same time. Your tastebuds will sing!

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 3/4 c. quinoa, uncooked
• 2 c. vegetable broth, divided
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 large sweet potato, baked, peeled and diced small
• 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. fresh oregano
• 1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt to taste
• 4 medium-large red bell peppers, seeded and with stems removed but otherwise intact

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake sweet potato 1 hr until soft, and set aside to cool. It’s best to do this in advance, maybe first thing in the morning, or the day before. Once cool, peel and dice small with a sharp knife
2. Heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, and jalapeño. Sauté 5 minutes until onion is turning translucent. Empty into a large bowl.
3. Bring 1 1/2 cups of broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Rinse quinoa in cold water in a mesh strainer, add it to the broth, and return to a boil. Cover saucepan, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with fork. Stir into the garlic, onion, and jalapeño.
4. Add black beans, tomatoes, remaining (1/2 c.) vegetable broth, herbs, spices, salt and pepper. Stir well. Gently fold in sweet potato.
5. Stuff peppers with quinoa mixture, divided evenly, and place side-by-side, vertically, in a bread pan. Cover lightly with foil and bake 25-30 min. until peppers are tender. Serves 4-6 generously.

Thank you to Monique at AmbitiousKitchen for a prior version of this recipe.