I feel like I have been in a complete dinner rut the last few…months? I used to actually cook food and not just throw some lettuce in a bowl with a few toppings, but lately have felt very ‘meh’ about cooking. Yesterday, out of the blue, I decided I wanted to eat something besides a salad so I got the gears turning in my head and thought of what I could make that was a) easy and b) tasty and c) would have leftovers, because I knew this spark of motivation wasn’t going to last. With that, I made this “Dinner Recipe for When Nothing Else Comes to Mind”.
This recipe would be great for folks with a grill, as the summer vegetables would be perfect with a nice char to them, but not everyone has the luxuries of the grill, so the oven will work too (possibly with the air conditioner though).
Dinner Recipe for When Nothing Else Comes to Mind
Ingredients:
- Quinoa (1.5 cups)
- Water / chicken brother or vegetable brother (3 cups total)
- Summer veggies, washed and cut (zucchini, asparagus, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, purple onion, squash, etc)
- Salt, pepper, spices (like onion powder and garlic powder), olive oil
- Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350* F (mas o menos…not really sure how hot the oven was)
- Cook your quinoa according to package instructions. I like to use 2x the amount of liquid as quinoa (ie 1.5 c quinoa, 3 c liquid). I also like to use chicken broth for extra flavor.
- While quinoa cooks, chops the veggies, throw them in a bowl and then liberally coat with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Give them a toss.
- Line a baking sheet with paper/ foil, then evenly distribute the coated vegetables all over the pan. Give them an extra sprinkle of salt.
- Roast the vegetables for about 20 minutes, giving them a mix half-way through, or until they are soft and a little caramelized. (if you have a grill, grill the veggies instead!)
- Scoop quinoa into bowls, top with roasted/ grilled vegetables, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Enjoy 🙂
*Would be extra delicious with grilled/ baked salmon or chicken, or a fried egg.
