Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Here’s a recipe for a beautiful and healthy side dish:  Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Well, it’s a New Year.  And that means thinking about making small changes to make it a healthier year.  I almost always make it a point to make some healthy changes… always on a quest to live a little bit longer and take off a few pounds.

I’ve decided that my family eats FAR to much white rice.  White rice isn’t that great for you, so it’s time to get rid of that on our dinner menu and replace it with something much better for us: quinoa.  Quinoa is high in protein, and it’s gluten-free too.

I love this tri-color blend of quinoa, and I chose to cook it in chicken broth and add garbanzo beans too.

I added simply roasted vegetables (carrots, zucchini, red bell peppers and shallots) to the cooked quinoa and garbanzo beans along with a lemony, red wine vinegar dressing.

This side dish can be served either warm or cold.  It’s healthy and delicious- a better choice over white rice indeed!

Print Recipe

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

ROASTED VEGGIES:

• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium to large zucchini, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

QUINOA:

• 1 cup Tri-color Quinoa
• 2 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

DRESSING:

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Roast the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place veggies in a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Place veggies on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, or until softened and slightly charred. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
2. Prepare the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa well in a fine sieve. In a medium saucepan bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the rinsed quinoa, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is completely absorbed.
3. Assemble the dish: In a small dish, whisk together the dressing ingredients. In a medium to large bowl, toss the roasted vegetables with the cooked quinoa, garbanzo beans and dressing. Serve immediately as warm, or cover and refrigerate and serve cold at a later time.

Nutrition:

• 5 Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints per serving (divided into 6 servings)

SOURCE: RecipeGirl.com

Here are a few more quinoa recipes you might enjoy:

• Asian Quinoa Salad by Two Peas and Their Pod
• Mexican Quinoa Salad by RecipeGirl
• 15-Minute Spinach-Pesto Quinoa Bowl by Table for Two
• Peach and Pecan Quinoa Salad by RecipeGirl
• Winter Squash Quinoa by A Thought for Food