Crazy for Quinoa

Savory Eats

Words that describe quinoa: versatile, healthy, tasty, protein-rich, filling, gluten-free. I've cooked quinoa in all forms...ground up in pancakes as quinoa flour, sauteed into a sweet-potato quinoa fritter, substituted for rice in risotto, or swapped with oatmeal in the morning. Of all the recipes, the two I'm sharing today are my favorites - one for lunch (Quinoa Tabbouleh) and one for dinner (Quinoa Lasagna)...

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Everyone knows I love Mediterranean food. Tabbouleh is a traditional Arabic salad made with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, parsley, and other herbs and dressed in olive oil and lemon juice. By substituting quinoa for bulgur wheat, the recipe has fewer calories, fewer carbs, and more protein!

Ingredients:

*Adapted from Bon Appetit

**Makes 6 large servings

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 large English cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Crumbled feta cheese on top (optional)

Recipe:

1. Rinse 1 cup of quinoa. Bring two cups of vegetable broth to a boil. Add dry quinoa, reduce to a simmer, and cover for 15 minutes until quinoa is finished cooking:

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400, chop your eggplant into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil, and roast eggplant for about 45 minutes until golden brown:

3. Chop your vegetables and herbs (tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, garlic, parsley, mint):

4. In a separate bowl, whisk lemon juice and garlic together. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper:

5. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. Add the roasted eggplant and fresh vegetables. Add the fresh herbs. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill and serve cold:

You can crumble feta cheese on top if you'd like!

Quinoa Lasagna

This recipe will blow you away. Not only does the taste resemble pizza, but it smells like heaven and is very good for you. Did I mention it's easy, filling, and a one-dish-wonder?

Ingredients:

*Recipe from Eating Well

**Makes 8 servings (250 calories/serving)

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 cups zucchini, sliced
• 2 cups packed fresh spinach
• 1 & 1/2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

Recipe:

*Apologies for the poorer quality iPhone pictures in this recipe - my Nikon camera was missing-in-action last night.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Bring 2 cups vegetable broth to a boil. Add 1 cup quinoa, reduce to a simmer, cover for 15 minutes until quinoa is done cooking. Set aside. Evenly spread quinoa out in the prepared dish:

3. Chop onions and garlic. Add oil to a saucepan. Add onions and cook until starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are softened. Add garlic. Add tomato sauce. Stir and remove from heat:

4. In a separate bowl combine cottage cheese and egg, mix well. Stir in Parmesan cheese, basil, and oregano:

5. Spread 1/3 of the sauce (with onions, garlic, and mushrooms) over the quinoa. Make a layer of all the zucchini, then spread a layer of all the cottage cheese mixture:

6. Spread half of the remaining tomato sauce on top of the cottage cheese. Then add all the spinach:

7. Finish with the remaining sauce and spread mozzarella on top:

8. Bake the lasagna until the cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly browned around the edges, 35-40 minutes. Serve while hot!

Quinoa Tabbouleh recipe to print:

1. Rinse 1 cup of quinoa. Bring two cups of vegetable broth to a boil. Add dry quinoa, reduce to a simmer, and cover for 15 minutes until quinoa is finished cooking.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400, chop your eggplant into bite sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil, and roast eggplant for about 45 minutes until golden brown.
3. Chop your vegetables and herbs (tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, garlic, parsley, mint).
4. In a separate bowl, whisk lemon juice and garlic together. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. Add the roasted eggplant and fresh vegetables. Add the fresh herbs. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill and serve cold.

Quinoa Lasagna recipe to print:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Bring 2 cups vegetable broth to a boil. Add 1 cup quinoa, reduce to a simmer, cover for 15 minutes until quinoa is done cooking. Set aside. Evenly spread quinoa out in the prepared dish.
3. Chop onions and garlic. Add oil to a saucepan. Add onions and cook until starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are softened. Add garlic. Add tomato sauce. Stir and remove from heat.
4. In a separate bowl combine cottage cheese and egg, mix well. Stir in Parmesan cheese, basil, and oregano.
5. Spread 1/3 of the sauce (with onions and mushrooms) over the quinoa. Make a layer of all the zucchini, then spread a layer of all the cottage cheese mixture.
6. Spread half of the remaining tomato sauce on top of the cottage cheese. Then add all the spinach.
7. Finish with the remaining sauce and spread mozzarella on top.
8. Bake the lasagna until the cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly browned around the edges, 35-40 minutes. Serve while hot!