Roasted Vegetables and Quinoa Slaw

Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Slaw

It's a quinoa salad, but I thought the term "Slaw" made it much less pretentious.

I've adapted this recipe from Ina Garten's Orzo with Roasted Vegetables. Though I would never deny the wonder that is Ina Garten nor her expertise in making delicious food, this alternative is vegan and gluten free and contains less fat. I've made a lot of her recipes, and I've found that there usually is too much oil. That's not just me being healthy, either! Sometimes I just think it's a little too oily for my taste.  This is a recipe that you can make for your family or save in your fridge for a quick lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Onion, roughly chopped

1 Eggplant, peeled and  ¾ inch cubes

1 Red Pepper,

2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

3 Cups White Button Mushrooms, halved

1 Cup Quinoa

2 Cups Vegetable Broth

3 or 4 Tbs Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Dry White Wine

Salt and Pepper

1 Lemon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400.

Toss onion, eggplant, red pepper, tomatoes, and garlic in olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan.  Bake on middle rack until browned, about 25 minutes.

Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a medium sized pot.  Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer.  Cook, lidded, until the liquids are absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the halved mushrooms in the wine on medium heat until they have exuded their liquid and browned, about ten minutes.

Serve vegetables and mushrooms over quinoa, and squeeze lemon to taste.

Additional Comments:

• The salt in this recipe is recommended but not required - try adding less than you would normally (stay with me) because the lemon will bring out the flavors in the same way that the salt does. Also, aim for a low sodium vegetable broth.
• Because we've reduced the oil, use a non-stick pan or parchment paper. If you're stuck with a difficult dirty dish at the end of the recipe, put baking soda on it, let it sit for a few minutes, then pour boiling water over the pan. The cooked-on grease will come right off; no need to do extra work because you're using less fat. Then take a second to think about how weird it is that baking soda does that to dishes but we eat it anyways... I dunno.
• The vegetables listed in the recipe make delicious food, but you can try with whatever vegetables you want - local, in season, in your pantry already, whatever.
• In order to lower the fat, it's important to cook the mushrooms separately: they are like little sponges for liquids and won't share with the other vegetables. If you're not a fan of the flavor of wine, see these substitutions.
• If you don't eat quinoa regularly now, take it easy. It is a powerful grain that your body will need to make adjustments to. If you want to know more, see the nutrition facts and make some inferences.

Thanks for reading and let me know how your fooding goes. Like always, I'd love to hear from you!