My husband and I are trying to eat healthier. We don't eat a lot of meat to begin with, but we thought it would be a good idea to have one totally meatless meal a week. I thought quinoa would be a great dish to serve since it's high in protein and a great food.
This was actually my first time cooking (and eating) quinoa, and it definitely will not be my last. This dish is so yummy and very filling. Although we ate it as a main dish, it would also make a great side dish.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed (I used light cream cheese)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-5 cups thinly sliced or bite sized pieces assorted uncooked vegetables (I used a bag of frozen mixed cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Bring quinoa and broth to boil in a saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed. (Follow package instructions)
- While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minute, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. If you are using frozen vegetables, you'll just need to cook them until they are warm/hot.
- Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa. Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
Adapted from Christy's Culinary Collection
This looks so good! Did you cube your cream cheese before you stirred it in?
ReplyDeleteI did cube it. I'll go back and edit the post :-)
DeleteI'll have to give this a try. I've only made one other quinoa dish and it was nasty! It looks really tasty.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great dish. Since you cook the quinoa in chicken broth - it takes on that flavor. If you wanted to add meat - I think cubed chicken would taste great in it.
ReplyDeleteIf this has chicken broth then it is not totally meatless.
ReplyDeleteYou know, you're absolutely right. I imagine it would taste just as good if you made it with Vegetable Stock.
DeleteI would call it meatless but not vegetarian. It's a fine line, but really if you are trying to cut your meat consumption this would still be a go-to recipe. If you're going for vegetarian then substitute veggie broth for the chicken broth.
Delete