Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

So I tried a recipe from the back of the quinoa box.  I did change a few things, so I'll post my changes instead of the original recipe.  It turned out really well.  My husband even wants the leftovers tomorrow (this is a sure sign that he really likes something).  So, here's the recipe!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
4 large green bell peppers (or 6 medium)
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
Oil
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 smaller cans)
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the quinoa and water (you can do this in a rice cooker, you don't have to do anything special, just cook it like rice).  Cut the tops off the peppers and steam for about 5 or 10 minutes.  I did this in a pot with about two inches of water in it.  I put the cut side down and that seemed to work really well.  Sauté the onion, garlic and ground beef until ground beef is brown and onions are soft.  If you're a vegetarian, you can use mushrooms instead of ground beef.  Drain the tomatoes, but reserve the juice.  Once the meat is done, toss in the tomatoes and salsa and simmer for about 10 minutes.  If it's too dry you can add some of the reserved tomato juice.  Stir in the cooked quinoa.  Put the green peppers in a 8x8 pan and stuff them with the quinoa mixture.  If you have any left over, mix it with the reserved tomato juice and pour into the bottom of the pan.  Top with cheese.  You can skip this step if you're lactose intolerant.  Bake at 350 until the cheese is melted.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers