I've looked at a lot of quinoa recipes since it became popular in Canada around 5- 10 years ago. Most of the recipes merely substitute quinoa for the rice as a side dish and have never appeared very inventive to me. I stumbled upon this little gem while trying to find a meat free option and have since made it more than a few times.

Yield: 8 servings

Casserole Ingredients

2 cups dry quinoa
4 cups water
1 red onion - medium dice
3 cups veggies on hand (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus etc.)
1 cup frozen peas or corn
1 can (400 ml/14 oz) of coconut milk
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 inch fresh grated ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
3-4 pinches cayenne powder
1 tsp salt
precooked meat - optional

Peanut Sauce Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
3 garlic cloves
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 inch fresh grated ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)

Directions

1. Lightly toast dry quinoa over medium heat, this will bring out the nutty flavour of the quinoa. After toasting give the quinoa a quick rinse in fine mesh sieve, this should remove any possibility of a bitter flavour. Then cook the quinoa by adding the water and pinch of salt, bring to a slow simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is dry, about 30 minutes. This can also be done a day ahead or made with leftover quinoa.
2. In an immersion blender, stand blender or food processor combine the sauce ingredients (don't worry about cutting the garlic the blender will do that for you).
3. Preheat oven to 350F
4. In a small bowl combine coconut milk, curry, ginger, cayenne and salt.
5. In a 9x13" baking pan combine quinoa, veggies, onion, optional meat and coconut milk mixture, stir to combine.
6. Drizzle lightly with peanut sauce
7. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven
8. Serve with another drizzle of peanut sauce

Inspired by

• The Healthy Maven