Last night, I made Josh-O and the kids a chicken casserole (will post recipe later), and I made myself THE yummiest vegetarian dish EVER.

I just wasn’t in the mood for chicken…. I’d just had the most LOVELY yoga class I’d had in a while, and I KNEW my body wanted a wholesome, cleansing vegetarian dish. So, I looked through ALL my cookbooks for the yummiest looking recipe — WITH the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats, of course — and found nothing. Then, I decided to put in a google, and I found THIS. FABULOUS. FILLING. FLAVOURFUL. dish. Total YUM. CHECK IT!!!

It’s really supposed to be more colourful than this picture shows…. But, I didn’t have any leeks or green or red peppers on hand — only yellow peppers and yellow onions. So, yellow, yellow, YELLOW it is. But, still DELISH and HEALTHY and PROTEIN-PACKED beyond!

Okay, so here we go….

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes 8 Servings)

2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium leek, white and pale green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 large eggs
1 cup nonfat milk
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (4 oz.), plus more for sprinkling, optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and bell peppers; cover, and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender.

3. Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3 to 4 minutes, or until quinoa grains begin to turn opaque.

4. Add 3 cups of water, and season with salt (if desired — I always skip the salt). Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes more, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes.

5. Spray 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Transfer to prepared baking dish, and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until browned around the edges and on top.

ENJOY!!!

NUTRITIONAL INFO
Amount Per SERVING (serves 8):

Calories 241
Protein 12g
Total fat 10g
Carbs 27g
Cholesterol 72mg
Sodium 295mg
Fiber 2g
Sugars 3g

SOURCE: Vegetarian Times Issue: April 1, 2008 p.78