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Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

在过去的几年里似乎the entire would has gone quinoa crazy – that is, except my kitchen. The way people rave on about the tiny seeds you’d think they’d saved everyone’s dear old mother from a fate worse than death. However, despite being annoyingly miniscule and susceptible to static (rendering their transportation from one vessel to another unreasonably difficult) quinoa is both delicious and wonderfully nutritious. A good source of complete protein, quinoa was a fundamental part of pre-Colombian Andean civilisation – the Incas, for instance, thought it sacred.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

In all honesty, I received this bag of quinoa in the post from the lovely Somer, thecurator and vegan enthusiast of Vedged Out. Consequently, I’ve still not bought or even picked up a bag of the stuff at a supermarket. Somer knew that quinoa had never graced the virtual folds of frugalfeeding, so she took it upon herself to perform a stroke of comic genius and post me a bag all the way from America in a move that was FAR from frugal. Still, since your quinoa is unlikely to be personally mailed to you across the Atlantic, it has been assumed that using it is perhaps frugal, particularly considering its nutritional value.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Being somewhat similar to other grain-like ingredients (couscous, bulgur wheat and barley) quinoa is impressively versatile. It can be used well in a variety of dishes such asTabbouleh, as well as more hearty bowls of food such as this. Indeed, most grains or small pastas are virtually interchangeable in every dish, with each grain bringing a small twist to the flavour party. Quinoa, for instance, is a rather nutty seed with a somewhat distinctive flavour and texture. This uniqueness alone makes it a worthy addition to every pantry –do you have a favourite way to prepare quinoa?

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 150g quinoa

• 2 courgettes, finely chopped

• Half a butternut squash, cubed

• 2 red onions, roughly sliced

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 3 tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped (mint, parsley, coriander, basil)

• 1 tsp whole cumin seed

• 1 tsp whole coriander seed

• 30g butter (or oil if vegan)

• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Chop and pop the squash and red onions in the oven at 170C until soft and browned. Rinse your quinoa thoroughly and simmer for 12 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, sauté the courgettes and garlic in a pan with the butter and a little olive oil (this stops the butter burning). Toast your seeds, grind and add them along with the cooked quinoa to the courgettes, followed by the roasted vegetables and fresh herbs. Season liberally and enjoy thoroughly.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Cost:Quinoa isn’t the cheapest seed/grain on the market. However, if you shop around you can find it for a reasonable price. The lowest I’ve seen is around£1.30 for 300g. As such, this is a rather frugal affair and can be made forno more than £2.50.

35 replies on “Roasted Vegetable Quinoa”

I have to confess I still think it’s a bit ordinary, but I guess like cous cous, it’s how you dress it up that makes all the difference. And you “dressed it up” beautifully, love the veggies and love the photos

I came to quinoa because it is gluten free and one of my children in a coeliac. I substitute it for cous cous now, and although it has a different flavour, it works well for us. I recently came across a corn based “cous cous” which is really good too. I used to call cous cous the working woman’s friend because it is so quick to prepare so the quest for a substitute was significant goal for me. We used to eat it once a week. I like quioa with raosted veg as you have done, or else with sauteed capsicums, lots of parsley, lots of parsley and some crumbled feta.

I am always finding news ways to use quinoea and I have to say your comment about the static made me giggle – so true !
Usually I just add them in salads and soups to up the protein content and also add a bit of texture to them but I also have made quinoea and dried fruit and nut clusters before as a healthy sweet treat during one of my detoxes.

I have made Quinoa once before today, surprisingly enough lol! I used it as a replacement to couscous before with a Moroccan stew. Today I picked a recipe on Epicurious for a black bean and quinoa salad. I did not have all the ingredients, but I substituted and it was very good actually. It is a versatile grain and I like the nutty flavor.

I cook quinoa like white rice: 2 cups (16 fluid ounces since I am American) broth plus 1 dry cup quinoa, rinsed. Bring to a boil in a saucepan, cover and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, let rest for 5 minutes, then fluff. That produces individual grains that are quite tasty I use it in place of rice in many dishes. It kind of grows on you!

Delicious! I’m on such a health mission and this is exactly the sort of dishes I’m eating at the moment. I made your sweet chilli chickpeas yesterday as a side dish for a BBQ I went to at a friend’s place. It was a hit! I was told it was the best thing on their plates yesterday. Super chuffed – thanks to you! Caro.

I admit I used quinoa a lot now – I like the flavour and it has the added value of extra protein content. The flakes are quite good for baking too, although they do give a slightly grassy flavour.

When my daughter comes to visit she cooks and bakes with quinoa as she has a wheat allergy. I hadn’t used it myself until I found a very simple recipe for Quinoa Greek salad. Now it’s my favourite salad.

Love your blog. Thanks for stopping by mine.

I adore you! Nick, this turned out perfectly. You hit the nail right on the head with it’s description, nutritional value and uses. I’ll add this to my menu this week and let you know what I think of your creation. (dang the static!)

That looks really good – have recently been roasting vegetables for this sort of dish. I never know what spices to put in so will definitely give this a go. I tried pearled spelt the other day and that is also very good.

This is a recent addition to variety of grains in my pantry. Never heard of it back in India. I’ve truly enjoyed every meal I’ve added it to. I cook it pretty similar to your recipe. Just a dash of lemon juice and a few red chilly flakes add that extra zing for me. I add a couple of more veggies such as zuchchini, bell peppers and a few mushrooms too.

看起来美味,尼克!烤蔬菜和五胞胎oa are a great combination. I actually like to make it into patties and fry them up. Super yum.

Isn’t there actually a controversy about quinoa right now? The global craze for it is creating a shortage of traditional food in Peru?

Your roasted veggie quinoa looks really really good! I am a big fan of quinoa, I love it in salads, in tabbouleh, but my favourite way of using quinoa is in cakes. Give me a spoon and Lemon Quinoa Cake, and I am a very happy girl

Thanks for liking my Collateral Lettuce post about coffee ramen, Nick! Would you dare try it? Which two ingredients (only two) would you change to make it more palatable?

This dish looks very nice. My first time eating quinoa wasn’t that long ago, only in late 2008, but I wish it was easier to find in East Asia…

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