Roasted Veggies and Quinoa

Roasted Veggies + Quinoa = Delicious and super healthy side dish!

We love it with Lemon Pepper Fish from the grill. Recipe here!

Brian licking every bite of this yummy dinner from his plate!

1 cup Quinoa

2 1/2 cups Water

1/2 cup Tomato Sauce

2 Zucchini sliced

1/2 med. size Onion, chopped (or any other mixture of veggies that you like)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put a pot on the stove to boil water and tomato sauce. Cut up veggies into like sized pieces and arrange a single layer on baking sheet. (As seen in picture above). Drizzle with olive oil, and liberally season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-15 minutes. When water/tomato sauce is to a boil add some salt and the Quinoa. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss roasted veggies and quinoa in serving bowl. Serve warm or cold.

Quinoa--Healthier Option for Food Storage and Vegetarians!

I was first introduced to Quinoa by my Aunt Kaly. They are selling it at Costco right now, so I tried it, fell in love, and have been cooking with it a ton!

Quinoa--pronounced kean-wa--is a grain from South Africa that has a high protein content and a balanced set of amino acids. It is also high in dietary fiber, magnesium, iron and is gluten free. It is the healthier grain choice for cooking as well as food storage, and is great for vegetarians.

It can be cooked like rice (2 parts liquid to 1 part grain) and, like rice, takes on whatever flavors it is cooked with. It can even be cooked in a rice cooker!

Here are some great Quinoa recipes:



Quinoa Taco Filling: (This idea came from my Aunt)

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
1 Taco Meat Seasoning Packet

Boil water. Add in quinoa and seasoning packet. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender. Use in taco's instead of meat. It tastes just the same, and has a similar texture. You're still eating all the great protein, but without the fat!



Quinoa Stuffed Peppers: I wrote this recipe with hamburger meat and rice originally, but now I substitute quinoa.


4 peppers- Pablano if you like it spicy, Green Bell if not
1 1/2 cups Quinoa
4 cups Liquid- 1 can tomato sauce, the rest water
3 cups Corn
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Chile Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
A few dashes of hot sauce(to taste)
1 cup Medium Cheddar Cheese (more or less to taste)

cilantro and sour cream to garnish


-Cut peppers in half and remove ribs and seeds. Put on baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until the outside begins to blister and char. Turn over and broil 2-4 minutes more.

-Boil water/tomato sauce mixture. Add in quinoa.Turn down heat and simmer until cooked. (or cook in rice cooker) Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chile powder and hot sauce.

-In large skillet, saute onion on medium heat until cooked through and starting to brown slightly. Add in corn and saute until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in seasoned quinoa. Stuff mixture into peppers. Top with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream.

Quinoa Side Dish: Aunt Kaly's recipe

Cooked quinoa

sauteed onion

1 can black beans

Half a container corn salsa

salt and pepper to taste

-Mix and serve

Kabob Pasta Salad

3 Bell Peppers, any color

1 medium Red Onion

1 pound of your favorite Sausage (I like hot Louisiana Style Sausage from Costco) or chicken

1 pound Bow Tie Pasta

2 Lemons- zest and juice

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cook pasta. Reserve half a cup of the cooking liquid before draining. Chop bell peppers, onions, and sausage into like sized pieces. Put on kabob skewers and grill until cooked through. Add kabobs to pasta. Dress with cooking water, lemon juice, zest, and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold.

*If you don't have a grill, saute the meat and veggies in large skillet, to cook through*

Mom Fromm's Wheat Pancakes & Syrup

Want to know how to use all that wheat in your food storage? Use it to make these awesome pancakes! Coleson loves them...He'll eat about 6-8 of them in one sitting!

1 Egg

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 cup Buttermilk

3/4 cup White Flour

3/4 cup Wheat Flour

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Oil

Beat egg; add soda and buttermilk. Add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth. Add more buttermilk if too thick. Pour onto griddle and cook!

Home-Made Maple Syrup

1 cup boiling Water

2 cups Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Mapleine flavoring

Pour boiling water over sugar; add maple flavoring. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Boil 2 minutes and take off stove. Thickens as it cools.

Lemon Pepper Marinade

Lemon pepper is definitely not a new concept for grilling, but try this real marinade instead of just the stuff in the jar:

For 2 servings--approx. 8 ounces

Adapted from Rachel Ray's Lemon Pepper and Herb Chicken

Zest of 1 Lemon

1 tablespoon Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Put all ingredients in a plastic food storage bag with chicken or fish. Marinate for 15 minutes, or up to 3 hours in fridge, turning occasionally to season all sides.

We tried it with Mahi Mahi on the grill today and it was so delicious!

Dijon Poppy Chops

4 pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup + half a can of water
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 sleeve Ritz crackers
1-2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

-Brown pork chops in skillet about 3-5 minutes on each side
-Add in mushroom soup, water, and mustard
-Stir all together and let simmer at least 30 minutes to make sure they are cooked all the way through. But, the longer you simmer them the more tender they become!
-Crush the crackers
-Stir crackers, poppy seeds and butter together

Before serving, put cracker mixture on top of pork chops and broil on low until slightly browned and crunchy. Serve over rice.

**This would also be delicious with chicken--thin cutlets or tenderloins!**