Quinoa with Roasted Veggies and Mama's Sauce

Quinoa? What’s Quinoa? When I tell my friends I made quinoa for dinner they just smile and nod and hope I don’t realize that they have no idea what I’m talking about. But I do. And if only they knew the power of quinoa, then maybe they would change their minds. Quinoa comes from the gooseberry plant and is similar to cous cous or rice. It has many nutritional benefits and is known as a superfood. Can quinoa fly and wear a cape? No, I wish. Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that are considered to be exceptionally beneficial to the body. Horrayyyy for foods that are exceptionally beneficial! Anyway, it tastes like a fluffy form of rice. So if you like rice, then quinoa is a great substitute if you’re looking on the healthier side. It’s a tad-bit more expensive than regular white rice, but I think the benefits outweigh the price. And the benefits include: high protein, high dietary fiber, calcium (lactose free), iron, potassium, magnesium, gluten-free… need I say more?

Danielle Critelli at the Neuschwanstein Castle which
is the castle that inspired Disney's Cinderella's Castle!
Dreams on dreams.

My good friend, Danielle Critelli shared this lovely dinner with Jenn and me a few days ago and she was a little skeptical on what in god’s name I was making for her. Danielle is not a very good veggie eater and had no idea what quinoa was. So when I told her I’m making her superfood quinoa with roasted veggies and tomato sauce, she hesitated coming over and reconsidered our friendship. But little did she know that I was about to BLOW HER MIND… and fill her with tons of nutrients.

I have to admit. As a friend, I shouldn’t have shoved her into all these new foods so fast. “Danielle, you’re gonna eat this. You’re gonna eat it and like it!” Maybe I was a little too harsh. Well, what’s done is done and she said she actually really enjoyed it! Hopefully, she wasn’t lying. Nonetheless, after dinner she said, “My tummy is tickling.” So I either inflicted a disease upon her or she was digesting all of the new nutrients her body never experienced before. I vote the second option.  

This recipe is very easy to make! I had a little help because my roommate, Ryan Pardo (shout-out), had a rice cooker available and I visited my mom the weekend before so I had some of her leftover sauce that I naturally brought back with me. So if you have a rice cooker and leftover sauce… or dare I say… JARRED sauce. Excuse me, I almost just barfed. You can make this dinner in 20-30 minutes. However, a rice cooker is not necessary. You can use a medium sauce pan and cover to complete the same task in the same amount of time. And for the sauce… you could use jarred sauce if you really want. Just please don’t tell me that you did and never use Ragu. That might as well be ketchup. If you want to make fresh sauce I can tell you a quick way to do it, however, it may take more time than taking it out of a jar.

Quick Tomato Sauce Recipe: Simply get a medium sauce pan and pour some olive oil (about 2 tbls.)onto it while it’s heating. Next cut up half an onion (can be red, white, yellow) and place it in the pot and let it golden a little. Then take a can of crushed tomatoes and pour it into the pot. Next you spice the shit out of it. Garlic powder, salt, pepper, emril spice seasoning, oregano, Italian seasoning, anything your heart desires (apply as much as you want.) Let it sit for 20 minutes at least and you got yourself some fresh sauce… A real authentic sauce recipe is soon to come in the future Shut Up and Eat adventures.

So if you’re in the mood for something different, healthy, and overall FUN, this is your next dinner. It’s always good to share meals with friends and family… and maybe even a glass of wine. All three are healthy to the mind and soul. I hope you enjoyed and don’t forget to follow our twitter so you can stalk our every move. And you can also submit your email above to receive an email every time we post!

Bon Appetite,

Dom

Click Here for PRINTABLE RECIPE!

Quinoa with Roasted Veggies and Mama Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of water

2 tbls. Olive oil

1 cup of broccoli, chopped thin

½ bunch asparagus, chopped into threes

2 Bell Peppers (Red and Green), sliced into cubes

3 on-the-vine red tomatoes, sliced in wedges

4 cloves of garlic

1 cup of carrots

1 cup of portabello mushrooms

Salt, pepper, & garlic powder, to taste

Equipment: Rice Cooker (optional), sauce pan (for sauce or rice cooker replacement) baking sheet, cutting board, knife.

***Note: All of these vegetables are replaceable and are not all necessary. You can use any vegetables you want to make this dish. Any combination would work.

Directions:

First, rinse all of your veggies in water (make sure if you use mushrooms to wash them thoroughly.) Next, you need to chop all of your veggies… you’re gonna feel like fruit ninja, except they are veggies… so I guess Veggie Ninja it is. Helpful tips while chopping produce:

Asparagus: Cut off the ends of the asparagus and dispose of them because they are tough to eat.

Bell Peppers: Cut around the stem of the pepper and extract all of the seeds. Then you slice it long ways and then slice them horizontally into cubes.

Carrots: These babies can fly all over the kitchen. Make sure you hold them down while you cut them or else you can poke somebody’s eye out.

Mushrooms: Cut them into cubes.

Tomatoes: Slice in half first, then cut the core of the stem out and cut into wedges.

Garlic: Hit garlic clove with the side of the knife to get wrapping off. Then you chop into slices.

Next place them on a tray (or two) and drizzle with olive oil. Put salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your liking and place into oven around 425˚F for 20-25 minutes.

On a side note, place 1 cup of quinoa into rice cooker or sauce pan and 2-2 ½ cups of water. Cover on medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until done. The picture above is what it should look like when done.

Since Jenn, Danielle and I had to wait for both things to cook, we decide to dance. We started out dancing to One Thing by One Direction and we ended up salsa dancing to Caribbean music… I don’t know how that panned out but for some reason it is usually what we do when we have to wait in the kitchen. We have concluded that we are weird… but fun? Once 20 minutes has passed and your dance fever has mellowed out, check the oven and if the veggies are roasted to your liking take them out. This is the finished product. LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE COLORS.

Once the quinoa is done, place it on a plate and if you want… you can shape it into a heart or whatever you want. Maybe this is a good meal for valentine’s day??? Tag this shit and save it for your loved one. After you place the quinoa, put all of your delicious veggies over top along with the sauce poured over. Remember to heat up the sauce if it is leftover or from a jar.

And last but not least, pour yourself and your friends some red wine and relax and enjoy dinner. Don’t be afraid of all of the different vegetables. They should be more afraid of you because you chopped them up and then roasted them in a 425˚F oven. Shame on you. Enjoy guys! Don’t forget to comment below!