Winter has been quite bearable thus far over here in the PNW. I caught myself evil laughing the other day when I checked Chicago’s temperature. It was all single digits. Cue maniacal guffaws.
Because flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and the bird are chatting it up, I feel antsy for spring and summer’s bounty of colorful fruits and vegetables. But it isn’t their time yet. Patience. There aren’t abundant pops of color at the farmer’s market in February, but there is such a thing as rainbow carrots. They are like tasty, dirt covered jewels and reward you with their sweet side when roasted. Also, sometimes I think, “Is there anything better than roasted cauliflower!?” I mean have it alone, with spreadable goat cheese, on top of pizza or blended into a soup. It will DELIGHT YOU. To no end.
Whether winter still has you in its evil grip or spring feels like it is just around the corner, I recommend this simple, cozy and warming quinoa bake. It uses up the ends of those vegetables lounging in your fridge, creates minimal mess and is pretty healthy so win win win.
Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Bake
I used my dear friend, the cast iron pan for this to keep basically the whole meal contained. Obviously use whatever friendly pans you’d like.
Heat up your oven to 450. I like the high quick roast. Pour a bit of olive oil in your skillet to coat the bottom and let it heat up in oven. Roughly chop any/all vegetables you have lying around. Use a rough, large chop. Here I used rainbow carrots, cauliflower, red onion, zucchini and a few garlic cloves. Take out the cast iron pan, add the vegetables and top with olive oil, salt, pepper and a few rosemary sprigs. Stir up and roast. Check and stir every so often. Wait until they get nicely browned and a bit crisp. It’ll take about 15-30 minutes depending on your preference and oven.
While your vegetables roast, make your quinoa. I usually make one cup of dried quinoa. If you have vegetable stock use that in place of water. If not, no big deal.
Once your vegetables are roasted, take out the pan and pour in your cooked quinoa. Stir to combine everything. Crumble feta cheese on top. Add more olive oil, salt and pepper if it needs it. Let the quinoa bake until the cheese melts, then put under the broiler for just a minute or 2 until it lightly browns. Top with a sprinkling of fresh parsley, spoon into bowls and gobble it all up.
The Happy Food Dance 