Roasted Veggie Quinoa

Quinoa has been "in" for quite some time now and yet so many people are still intimidated to make it. That stops right here, right now. Ya hear me?

I know what some of you are thinking.. Quin-what?!? Quinoa. Pronounced Keen-wah, not Kee-no-ah or Kin-wah, but what you call it really doesn't matter all that much as long as you can cook it well. Though we treat it as a grain, it's actually a seed. Gluten free and Passover friendly according to many. Ashkenazim rejoice!

So, what's the hype, right? Well, it's a nutritional powerhouse. Quinoa is a complete protein. It contains all nine essential amino acids. These can't be made by our bodies and must come from food, which makes quinoa a delicious and healthy one-stop-shop. Vegans rejoice!

Quinoa has a soapy coating and must be rinsed before cooking, unless your package specifies that it is pre-rinsed. If you've made quinoa before and didn't rinse it and it tasted weird, now you know why. It's not the quinoa, it's you. No offense.

I like to make a batch of plain quinoa, simply seasoned with salt and pepper and then use it in different ways by adding different flavor elements. Sometimes I'll reheat leftover grilled chicken strips with quinoa for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Sometimes I'll add a bunch of diced vegetables and herbs and make a quinoa salad. And sometimes I like to top it with roasted vegetables (good save. Almost forgot where I was going with this, need more coffee). The possibilities really are endless.

Roasted vegetables are so so SO good. Like, seriously, my favorite thing to come out of the oven that isn't cake or cookies. Or muffins. Or biscotti. What was I saying? Oh, right! I find myself picking at the vegetables until half of them are gone and then shake up the tray to make it look full again so no one knows. THAT good! When you top the quinoa with the veggies, make sure you add any juices that may have accumulated too. They add great flavor to the simple quinoa base. The photos illustrate 2 different serving options. I prefer the roasted veggies served over a bed of quinoa, while my husband prefers the veggies mixed into the quinoa. So we compromise and do it my way 🙂 happy wife, happy life.