Here’s a recipe for a beautiful and healthy side dish: Roasted Vegetable Quinoa.
Well, it’s a New Year. 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! And, if you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Roasted Vegetable Quinoa
Ingredients
VEGETABLES
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium 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, to taste
QUINOA
- 1 cup tri-color quinoa
- 2 cups fat free chicken or vegetable broth
OTHER INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
ROAST VEGETABLES
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Place veggies in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper. 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 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.
ASSEMBLY
- In a small dish, whisk together the remaining ingredients, except garbanzo beans.
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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
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 🙂