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

I got an email the other day from the LOVELY and FABULOUSLY PREGGERS Multi-Tasking Mommy! She wanted to know how on EARTH one makes a good batch of Quinoa.

WELL, I can TELL YOU. Because I make the BEST QUINOA. And, it’s SO easy. It’s as easy as couscous and BETTER FOR YOU. I make it all the time. It’s SO good for you — one of the HEALTHIEST “grains” (apparently, it’s not even a grain) you can eat because it’s packed with PROTEIN and loads of nutrients. So, check it, Gorgeouses….

HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT QUINOA

1. Place 250 mL (1 cup) of quinoa and 500 mL (2 cups) of water in a pot (I use Corningware).

2. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to simmer (low).

4. Cover, and cook until all the water is absorbed (10-15 mins).

5. When it’s done, you’ll be able to see the germ ring, and the grain part in the centre will be translucent. You’ll know!

CHEATY’S QUINOA RECIPE

This really is the easiest recipe. And, it’s delicious. Even Josh-O loved it — to both our surprise — when I served it the other night with a garden salad.

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa
1/2 cup Chopped Hazelnuts (or pine nuts, or slivered almonds)
1/2 cup Raisins
1/4-1/2 cup Feta or Goat cheese (crumbled)
Pinch Turmeric (only because it’s SUPER healthy for you)
Pepper, to taste
Black Beans (optional)

Serves 5.

I don’t know why I indicated amounts for the ingredients because this dish really is anything goes. You could use more or less of ANY of these ingredients, depending on how you like it.

I suggested black beans as an option for those of us who want more protein and fibre in the meal. It’s not necessary, though, because quinoa has plenty of that, and the cheese adds good protein.

All you do is cook the quinoa (as above), then add in all the ingredients, mix it up, ET VOILA!

So easy!

ENJOY!

Thank you for the great question, Multi-Tasking Mommy!