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!
Roasted Vegetable Quinoa
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
Instructions:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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)
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
I love quinoa! For breakfast, dinner, lunch, snack…I am on a new health routine, too, so I am excited to try your recipe!
I believe very strongly that small changes always are helpful. I generally eat healthfully but I realize I need to start eating more fruit. I am good about eating salads and vegetables that I love but I am lacking in fruit. So I will incorporate that into my New Year’s changes. I agree, white rice is not that good for you. Brown rice is actually very good and has a nutty flavor once you get used to it. Absolutely LOVE your blog!!!
My small victory today is getting out of bed and showering and making coffee since I’ve been sick in bed for a week!
I opted for a green smoothie today for lunch! victory!
My little victory for today is that I bought a variety of groceries instead of my “usual” products. I got some tempeh and lentils as well as a pizza, LOL. What are the playoffs without pizza?!?! 🙂
My little victory was getting all my water and protein in for the day!
I want to cut back on some of my sugar intake!
I got out of bed and did my laundry!
Looks wonderful! Would love to try it with some crumbled Gorgonzola cheese sprinkled on top….and prob will try it in the near future! Thanks!
Today’s little victory- a healthy smoothie for breakfast!
Adding in healthy fats like avocado, olive oil to my meals. This morning, had egg whites scrambled with veggies and bit of olive oil! YUM! Plus, knowing ahead of time what I’m eating at our belated holiday work party!
I brought my gym clothes to work today and will be going to the gym over my lunch break! It’s the little things.
my little victory was actually cooking at home instead of eating out dinner after work!
My victory of the day was to drive around to two different towns running errands all in under an hour! It took some speed walking and fast driving, but it’s an accomplishment nonetheless!
Would love to win this giveaway!!
I emptied and loaded the dishwasher after finally watching the new episode of Downton Abbey, all before work!
My whole family would love this dish…even the 2 year old adores quinoa!
I am hoping to loose some belly! Healthier
This recipe looks simple, delicious and nutritious! Would be great to make ahead for lunches.
Haven’t had good luck with the small victories so far this year, but I am working on reducing my carbs 🙂