Quinoa

This is quickly becoming a staple receipt at our house, if you haven’t eaten quinoa, it’s a protein rich grain that is quite versatile. Add some pureed sweet potato and cinnamon and you have a breakfast meal, or pair with zucchini for a yummy seasonal dish.

Start off with two zucchinis, cut in half and then scrap the insides onto a paper towel to absorb some moisture.

 In a pot, take 2 cups of water, add 1 cup of Quinoa and bring to a bowl, then simmer for about 25 minutes until the water is absorbed. I like to add a spoonful of Better Than Bouillon, but a bouillon cube would also work.

 While the qunioa is cooking, chop up some fresh veggies, I picked up some sweet peppers and an onion at our market over the weekend, here I have 1/4 onion, 4 mushrooms and two sweet peppers chopped.

 Saute until softened. Add the insides of the zucchini you scraped earlier and add some cherry tomatoes if you dare (be VERY careful if you add them as they get very hot and will burn your mouth if you're not careful).

By now your quinoa should look like this. . .

 Add the veggies and mushrooms with some salt. I also like to sprinkle with breadcrumbs and mix in.

 Preheat the oven to 375 and spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats. Typically I end up with some leftover and fill some ramekins with the extra. I always save the ramekins for last, they heat up really well, but I don't think the zucchini boat would reheat quite as well.

Sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar and put in the oven for 20 minutes.

 

 When it comes out of the oven, it should look something like this. YUM!

I make this a little different each time, you could add cheese, or other veggies, or make it simple with just an onion and the zucchini.