QUINOA SPINACH BAKE

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Coat an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray, then coat with sesame seeds.

3. Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spinach; blanch until bright green, approximately 8-10 seconds. Transfer hot spinach to the ice bath to cool for 30 seconds, remove and drain water. Set aside spinach on a paper towel.

4. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add shallot, garlic, thyme and chili powder; sauté until translucent, approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a medium-sized bowl.

5. Add spinach, cooked quinoa, yogurt, eggs, sea salt and pepper to the onion mixture; mix well to combine. Transfer quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish and place in the oven. Bake until set and golden brown, approximately 60 minutes.

6. Remove from oven. Slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 lb. fresh baby spinach
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. chili powder
2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked quinoa)
1 cup Greek plain yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. freshly ground white pepper

BROCCOLI, QUINOA, CHICKEN CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa
1 head broccoli, cut into florets and finely chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/3 cup Panko*
3 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 9x13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook quinoa according to package instructions. Within the last 5 minutes of cooking time, add broccoli on top and steam until cooked through.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add Panko and cook, stirring, until browned and toasted, about 3 minutes; set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces; set aside.
Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in quinoa, broccoli, chicken, 1 cup cheese and Greek yogurt; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Spread broccoli mixture into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Place into oven and bake until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with Panko, if desired.

QUINOA GOAT CHEESE CRISPS

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soft unripened goat cheese
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (1/2 cup dried)
• 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 to 3 tablespoons spelt flour or unbleached white flour
• 2 green or red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

• Mash the goat cheese with a potato masher or fork.
• In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, cheeses, 2 tablespoons of the flour, chilies, shallots, spices, herbs, salt and pepper, egg and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Stir until well combined, adding more flour or oil as needed to achieve a fairly moist mixture that can be shaped into roughly 6 small patties.
• Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, fry a few patties at a time until golden brown — about 5 minutes each side. Remove and let drain on paper towels.
• Serve warm with your favorite chutney or tomato sauce.

CHEESY QUINOA BITES

ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (I cook my quinoa in low sodium chicken broth)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 2 stalks green onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese, flour, salt and pepper.
3. Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (1 heaping Tbs each).
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

BROCCOLI QUINOA

Double Broccoli Quinoa


3 cups cooked quinoa*

5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems

3 medium garlic cloves

2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 big pinches salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup heavy cream

Optional toppings: slivered basil, fire oil (optional)**, sliced avocado

crumbled feta or goat cheese

Heat the quinoa and set aside.Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want to add more of the pest a bit at a time, or you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds, a drizzle of the chile oil, and some sliced avocado or any of the other optional toppings.

Serves 4 - 6.

*To cook quinoa: rinse one cup of quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa, two cups of water (or broth if you like), and a few big pinches of salt until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

**To make the red chile oil: You'll need 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes. If you can, make the chile oil a day or so ahead of time by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan for a couple minutes - until it is about as hot as you would need it to saute some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside and let cool, then store in refrigerator. Bring to room temp again before using.