Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Quinoa with Roasted Veggies

My friend Jen, who is a registered dietician gave me this recipe. The original recipe did not include roasted veggies. So you can make this dish either way, with raw veggies or roasted veggies for some really nice added flavor! The awesome fact is that quinoa is an excellent source of protein so this happens to be a COMPLETE meal. You won't be asking, "where's the beef?" while eating this yummy dish.


Ingredients:

2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup Quinoa
Olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 zucchini sliced
4 oz. fresh baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup pine nuts
6-8 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 large red/yellow pepper, diced
1 lemon, cut in half
Additional 1 tbsp. Olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Place zucchini, tomatoes, pine nuts and bell pepper on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum paper, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and roast for 30-40 minutes.

Heat 2 tsp. of Olive oil in a medium stock pot and add the onion and garlic, saute until soft. Add the quinoa, stir to incorporate and cook until it toasts slightly and becomes golden in color. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Quinoa is cooked when it looks like the letter C!

Add roasted veggies to quinoa, as well as fresh spinach and basil. Squeeze in lemon juice and additional olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and Enjoy IMMEDIATELY!!