Healthy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Gather your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the bell peppers in half. Remove the seeds and ribs from each half. Place the halves in a baking dish, cut side up. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add the onions and salt and saute for 1 to 2 minutes until just barely softened. Stir the pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika, cumin, and crushed red pepper flakes to the onions in the pan. Cook for another minute to help deepen the flavor of the spices. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato sauce. Then fold in the quinoa, black beans, and 1 cup of the Monterey jack cheese. Be careful not to smash the beans. Fill each pepper half with an even amount of the filling.Top each pepper with an equal amount of the remaining cheese. Bake, covered for 30 minutes, or until the peppers have softened. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and the pepper is hot. Top with chopped cilantro if you wish.