A nice new friend


Today I made a quinoa, broccoli and cheddar casserole and it was quite good. It was a little scary, cooking with a new grain, but I weathered the storm. First you preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then you take 1 1/2 cups of quinoa, rinse it in a fine sieve (this gets rid of saponin, its natural bitter coating) and simmer it in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Chop an onion and saute it in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet until the onion is translucent. Add 2 medium crowns of broccoli, broken up into bite-size pieces, and 1/4 cup of water. Cover the skillet and cook the broccoli for 5 to 7 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine the broccoli mixture, cooked quinoa and half a cup of sharp cheddar cheese. Put the mixture into a lightly oiled, 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle half a cup of sharp cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Cook 20 to 25 minutes and let stand 5 minutes. (Source: The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet by Nava Atlas.)

Yum! Quinoa is high in protein, by the way.

Comments

Winston said…
It looks and sounds very good. Cheers!
1:39 PM
Lisa said…
That looks good. I see quinoa at the store but have never been brave enough to try.
2:31 PM
Caro said…
I'm glad you had a Merry Christmas.

I've never heard of quinoa, sad huh? Is it at the regular grocery store?
5:43 PM
Bearette said…
C - You're back! It's probably not at most grocery stores, but they have it at Whole Foods and places like that.

B - Welcome to the blog! :)
7:05 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vegetable personalities

At the risk that you'll all think I'm nuts...but heck. I was getting cauliflower ready for dinner and it occurred to me that vegetables have different personalities. In my mind, anyway. Zucchini: the most agreeable of vegetables. It blends in with everyone, but it's never obsequious or false to itself. Sweet potatoes: the grandmother of vegetables. Very cozy and welcoming. Cauliflower: kind of bland, devoid of personality, but it could surprise you sometimes. Like a dull guy who occasionally tells a funny joke at the water cooler. Broccoli: feisty. Like a terrier. Spinach: kind of dour, but a loyal friend. Kale: has a fierce sense of individuality, but like spinach, is a loyal friend. Kale's affections last for life. Corn: this one is kind of a party animal. Corn is still drinking beer and making a mess when you'd like to be closing up. Tomatoes: a little sloppy. The kind of vegetable that needs to be reminded to tuck its shirt into its pants. Cabbage: not invited t
Read more

The return of Rudolph

Rudolph is our small furry friend, whom I've never seen. He visited the kitchen last night while D was up late. I know this because: 1) A large sonic device is plugged in right in front of the crack between the oven and the wall. The sonic devices in the living room have kept Rudolph away from there, his previous hideaway. Apparently the cracks between appliances and the wall are harder to reach. 2) The mop has been moved from the hall closet to the kitchen closet. This means D tried to capture Rudolph. 3) A turtle magnet I haven't seen in a while is now on the fridge. That means it fell behind the oven and D found it during his interactions with Rudolph. (I am praying hard that Rudolph is a boy, since we don't want to find many small Rudolphs.) What makes me feel better about this whole thing is that mice are apparently everywhere this winter; even my brother has had problems with them. And this little guy seems to stay behind the oven and only appears around 4 am (only D
Read more

happy birthday e!

[Posted by Bearette's husband until she has Internet access] e was born today! 8 pounds even, a cute and healthy baby boy. He likes to stick out his tongue just a little, and move his mouth around. The hospital gave him a little white hat with a purple pom pom. Bearette is tired but happy. Pictures soon.
Read more