You may have noticed that I am working on providing you with a few recipes that warm you up through these winter months. I love heat, so this is a perfect recipe for me. But if your tastes tend more toward the gentle landing, I recommend skipping the jalapeño and reducing the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon. Or you can just forget both of them altogether. That’s because the chili powder will still provide some spicy excitement. For me though, I’m all in, which means that if my batch of jalapeños isn’t particularly hot, then I’ll happily add an extra one. So if you’re game, I’m going to recommend that you try letting this gorgeous fireworks of color land on your tongue all at once, because if you can tolerate the concert, your tastebuds will sing!

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño 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
• juice of 1 lemon
• 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 left whole

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake sweet potato for 1 hour until soft, and set aside to cool. It’s best to do this in advance, whether first thing in the morning, or even 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 the cooked quinoa into the garlic, onion, and jalapeño mixture. Add juice of one whole lemon.

4. Add the black beans, tomatoes, remaining 1/2 cup of vegetable broth, herbs, spices, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Gently fold in the diced sweet potato.

5. Stuff the 4 peppers with the quinoa mixture, divided evenly, and place side-by-side, vertically, in a bread pan. Cover lightly with foil and bake 25-30 minutes until the peppers are tender. Serves 4-6 generously.

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