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Vibrant Vegan Food in Portland

Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks

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Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks – delightfully ghoulish Pepper Jacks – jack o lanterns carved from peppers. kids of ALL AGES will love these!

 

Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks @spabettie

 

This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween, Halloween!

That song will be in my head all day now…

You know we love our stuffed peppers, right?

Today I have another stuffed pepper, and another play on words. These jack o lantern peppers are fun (I make them every year), but the new filling is what I’m excited about!

Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks @spabettie

Doesn’t that one look like a skeleton?

So. This filling. I started by juicing carrots and ginger.

Then. I cooked the quinoa with the carrot ginger juice.

Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks @spabettie

I know, I know. I made that face too.

Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks

makes two stuffed peppers

dairy, egg, soy, oil, and gluten free, vegan

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup dry quinoa (black for Halloween theme)
1 cup fresh carrot ginger juice
1 cup cooked black beans
2 orange bell peppers
sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

*Juice 5 carrots and 1 inch piece ginger. Combine quinoa and juice, bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, carve your peppers. Combine cooked quinoa with black beans, salt to taste, fill peppers. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve over spinach salad.

*No juicer? Buy a bottle of carrot ginger juice – generally found in the chilled beverage section.

Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks @spabettie

I want to cook all quinoa in juice from now on – it really adds vibrant flavor! These had a warm sweetness from the ginger and carrot, which balanced the pepper flavor well. It’s just an added bonus that they are whimsical and get me singing songs from a Tim Burton movie.

Do you carve pumpkins for Halloween? If not, perhaps a pepper?

 

 

more Pepper Jacks!

 

Chipotle Coconut Pepper Jacks @spabettie

Chipotle Coconut Pepper Jacks

Asparagus Mushroom Scramble Pepper Jacks @spabettie

Asparagus Mushroom Scramble Pepper Jacks

 

Pizza Pepper Jacks @spabettie

Pizza Pepper Jacks

 

Jalapeno Popper Pepper Jacks @spabettie

Jalapeno Popper Pepper Jacks

 

 

printable recipe:

 

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Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
 
dairy, egg, soy, oil, and gluten free, vegan
Ingredients
  • ½ cup dry quinoa (black for Halloween theme)
  • 1 cup fresh carrot ginger juice
  • 1 cup cooked black beans
  • 2 orange bell peppers
  • sea salt
Instructions
  1. *Juice 5 carrots and 1 inch piece ginger.
  2. Combine quinoa and juice, bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, carve your peppers. Combine cooked quinoa with black beans, salt to taste, fill peppers.
  4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve over spinach salad.
  5. *No juicer? Buy a bottle of carrot ginger juice - generally found in the chilled beverage section.

 

Carrot Ginger Quinoa Pepper Jacks @spabettie #vegan #oilfree #glutenfree

 

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Comments

  4. Amazing! Adorable and slightly unsettling, just like Halloween is supposed to be! I am still perplexed how you are able to produce so many wonderful & beautiful ideas so frequently.

    Much love to you & your blog!

    Reply

    • ha – Thank you, Thom! 🙂 and thank you SO much for your continued kind words – they always make my day and are much appreciated! (and trust me, sometimes I do NOT have any ideas…) 😉 XXO!

      Reply

  10. Love it! I saw something similar on Pinterest and put it on my list of things to make in October. So much fun. I also love the idea of cooking quinoa in carrot/ginger juice. I prefer it cooked in some liquid other than water for the extra flavor boost, and I’m sure the juice idea is spectacular!

    Reply

    • hi Maryea! here I was thinking I was being all creative with my pepper jacks! 😉 it’s been a favorite Halloween thing for years.

      you should try the carrot ginger juice for quinoa – I generally use a veggie broth, and have been branching out lately (salsa spices were GOOD!). the juice gives a lot of flavor!

      Reply

  11. Cute!

    We do carve pumpkins every year — my MIL has the whole family over and we eat, drink and carve pumpkins. She has tons of tools and stencils to make some pretty interesting jack o lanterns. We look forward to it every year.

    Reply

    • I need to make some stencils… I always have grand visions of my pumpkins and while they are cute, they rarely live up… 😉 always fun though! 😀

      Reply

    • oh, YAY, I am SO happy for that! and you can make several of them, AND you can eat them… AND they are very easy to “carve” ! 😀 have fun! XO

      Reply

    • orange juice sounds good too – I think I will be using juice a lot with quinoa, replacing my usual veggie broth.

      Reply

  18. You are so darn creative!! Can you send some of that creativity my way?? I find I end up making the same stuff over and over again. This looks SO good and so FUN to eat. Plus I freakin’ LOVE quinoa!

    Reply

    • thank you, Jess!! 😀 you should definitely make these, they are really fun AND tasty. and trust me, girl, I have my creative times AND my dry spells… 😉

      Reply

    • yeah, some may want a little “more”, but we enjoyed them as is – the flavor is SO good and the beans give some OOMPH. 😉

      Reply

  26. Okay, your Halloween foods are all officially way too cute. I’m not carving a pumpkin this year, so I juuust might have to give these peppers a go. Or at least that quinoa, ’cause I love everything ginger.

    Reply

    • Allie, if you like ginger, MAKE THIS quinoa! I will be doing this with much of my quinoa from now on… and you may as well put the quinoa in pepper jacks! 😉

      Reply

    • oh, no Jeni! I don’t know what I’d do without orange (and yellow) – those are my favorites. I am not a fan of the green peppers, they’re different, you know?

      I hope you find some soon! XO

      Reply

  36. Lady, these are crazy cute! Love them! We make a huge event out of carving pumpkins. We go to the farm, get them and then come back and carve the rest of the day! It’s one of my favorite things to do with the boys!

    I braised carrots, onion and garlic in carrot juice this weekend and it was sooo good! What an amazing sauce it makes.

    Reply

    • braising carrots in juice – oh, MY that sounds good – we were in sync this weekend! 🙂 I want to come over to YOUR house for pumpkin day!! 😀

      Reply

  39. STOP IT! These look so amazing. I bet they’d be incredible with lentils, too – I’ve been on a lentil kick…

    I’m making these when we have friends over for dinner – too freaking cute. And tasty. And you know I’ll add avocado to mine. 🙂

    Reply

    • yep, lentils will be good, avocado OF COURSE will be good… 😀 take photos when you make them, I want to see!

      Reply

    • I just made this the other night for our Bunko group. They were completely surprised when I told them how good it was for you. Not to mention how delicious it was!! 😀 The one question I have for you is: In your photos, yours looks thick like cookie dough, while mine was not thick at all, but more like a salad dressing. The taste was out of this world, but did I leave something out or miss a step to make mine more thin in consistancy? Either way, I’ll be making it again, just wanted to know.:) Thanks..

      Reply

      • hi Suzan! so happy you made these and enjoyed them. just so I am understanding, your quinoa cooked in the juice never set up? cooking in liquid for 20 minutes, the quinoa should have absorbed all of the liquid, did it not? I honestly am not sure why yours would have the consistency of a salad dressing – I cook quinoa all the time and this has never happened. If you make it again, cook the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the liquid (just using 1 cup liquid to 1/2 cup quinoa). hope that helps?

        Reply

    • heee – thanks, Angela! aren’t they fun? the best part – you get to eat them! no messy pumpkin to deal with later (although we will do those too…) 😉

      Reply

  46. That’s too cute. I’m saving this for Halloween, it’ll be a great craft for little kids (maybe if I see my little cousins, I can actually get them to eat some veggies!)

    Reply

  50. I’m always in for a sure surprise when I visit your blog– and this post is no exception 🙂 These look amazing and so festive for the upcoming halloween holiday! Sadly, I don’t get too spirited when it comes to Halloween, but you’ve certainly inspired me to do so 🙂

    Reply

    • aww, thank you so much, Emilia! that just made me smile big – you are so sweet! 🙂 perhaps you will carve some peppers this year?

      Reply

        • oh my gosh Oh My Gosh OH MY GOSH, I’m looking at today’s post, is that top photo a dachshund?? or a dachshund mix? sure looks like one 😉 anyway, I have moved your blog in my reader to my favorites folder, so I don’t miss any more posts (I’ve been SO behind in reading, especially with all the new vegan mofo additions!). I’m not entering today’s giveaway – I have one of these already!! (purchased at Vida Vegan!) 😀

          Reply

  56. we made these for dinner tonight!! the kids all loved them and we did too, wonderful flavors from the juice in the quinoa, you are so crafty!!

    Reply

    • thanks, girl!

      oh HEY! remember you had a dream about me Vida Vegan weekend (I was a scuba diver!?) I had a dream about YOU last night!! we were mushroom hunting. but they turned into pumpkins, the way only dreams can. 😉

      we should get a group together for dinner sometime when Departure rolls out the new vegan menu!! XO

      Reply

    • thank you!! 🙂 I know, you are not the first person to say that! I guess some of them DO look like they could be ceramic or something!

      Reply

  60. Can you enable highlighting on your website? I would like to copy/paste the recipe for my mother without having to retype it. Thanks!

    Reply

  62. really? its that easy?! I have the ingredients and im ready to assemble but im afraid that in the oven they wont stay so bright orange and perky. the ones you photographed have been baked already…?
    Thanks for the adorable recipe, either way 😉

    Reply

    • they will, or they should! some of these photos, YES – they’re already baked – the ones on the spinach, for sure – can you see how they’re kindof “softer” looking? 😀 they definitely “wilt” a bit, but the color always stays nice! you are so welcome, enjoy!!

      Reply

    • hi Alexis! after doing this, I don’t know if I’ll cook quinoa any other way!! it was SO flavorful with the juice – oh my! hope you try it – enjoy!

      Reply

    • thank YOU! I love it, especially carrot but I have used apple and other fruit juices too! cooking with water? never! gives such great flavors, I’m glad you like it!

      Reply

  66. found these from yummly, congratulations on the recipe win!! they are too cute and the recipe sounds amazing too – bookmarked and will enjoy these! (a turkey carving, perhaps? or holiday designs!)

    Reply

    • thank you, Andie!! I was really excited to have made the top ten!! *little old me?? 😀 if you carve turkeys in these (or anything else) I MUST SEE!! 😀

      Reply

  75. I was searching for something vegan and gluten free for a Halloween potluck, and found these on the xgfx site. O wow they are so perfect! My one small issue is I don’t like ginger… 🙂 So would you recommend using straight carrot juice, or some other combo? Whatever the broth I know they will be a huge hit. 🙂 Thanks for the fantastic idea!

    Reply

    • hi Deborah! yes, just leave out the ginger and use straight carrot juice – or really you can get creative and come up with any flavors you like! carrot is sort of sweet, gives a great flavor. orange is also good, I’ve cooked quinoa in coconut milk (so creamy!), all kinds of liquids! enjoy!

      Reply

    • thank YOU, Annie – and CONGRATS! (I couldn’t leave a comment on the post…). we are on our honeymoon right now – sending you sweet wedding wishes! 🙂

      Reply

  78. Hi Kristina,
    I just hopped by from Virtual Vegan Linky to see your carrot-ginger quinoa pepper jacks. These are the cutest little treats for Halloween season. I can’t wait to make these for friends and family. How creative.

    Reply

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