This Mediterranean twist on stuffed bell peppers packs in lots of nutritious flavor.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the peppers: 

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin 
• 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 1 cup packed chopped baby spinach leaves 
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta 
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling 
• 4 bell peppers
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the sauce: 

• 1 cup packed chopped basil leaves
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped 
• Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Bring quinoa, broth, and cumin to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat and let sit briefly before dumping into a large bowl. 
3. To quinoa, add the garbanzo beans, currants, chopped spinach, feta, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. The currants will plump up a little with the heat of the quinoa.
4. Prepare the peppers for stuffing. Trim off the top and run a knife around the inside to remove the ribs and seeds. If the peppers cannot stand, carefully level the bottom, being sure not to poke a hole through to the inside. Stuff peppers with quinoa mix and drizzle the tops with olive oil.
5. Place the peppers upright in a baking dish (8-by-8 inch works well) and pour about ¾ inch of water into the base around the peppers. Bake for about 1 hour, covering with foil if they brown too quickly. 
6. While peppers are baking, use a food processor or blender to blend all sauce ingredients until smooth. 
7. Spoon sauce directly over baked peppers. Or, you can cut peppers lengthwise (from top to bottom) and spoon the sauce over. 

Nutrition Information / Servings (4) / Amount Per Serving (1 pepper): Calories 595, Total Fat 34.6 g, Saturated Fat 7.2 g, Cholesterol 19.5 mg, Sodium 892.7 mg, Total Carbohydrate 58.2 g, Fiber 9.5 g, Protein 17.0 g