Recipe of the Week

I'm not a vegetarian, but I usually eat like one. This mostly because I hate buying, cutting, and cooking meat. While I try to get a good amount of protein in my diet, I simply can't tolerate the whole boneless, skinless, grilled chicken breast and steamed veggies routine. Bleh! Most of my meals consist of veggie-heavy one-pot dishes with lots of flavor and plant-based protein. I do add turkey products from time to time, but I try not to depend on them.

Of course, I love me some delicious pulled pork barbeque (prepared by someone else of course) on occasion, but that's definitely a "sometimes food". That's why I try to eat 90% vegetarian.

Since there is only so much one can do with beans and tofu, I went searching for a good quinoa recipe as it has the most complete and abundant protein of any other grain. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com and it originally called for frying the dough into little fritters, but I soon realized that putting in a loaf pan and baking was both easier and healthier.

Quinoa Loaf

2/3 cup raw quinoa
1 1/3 cups cold water
1/4 cup al all purpose flour
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoons ground white pepper
4 green onions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1/2 bunch flatleaf parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse the quinoa in a strainer under cold running water and drain well. Heat a heavy saucepan over high heat and toast the quinoa for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan so that the grains do not scorch. Transfer the quinoa to a large saucepan and add the water. Over medium high heat, bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, flour, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly and add the green onions, parsley, egg, and egg yolk. Blend together thoroughly until the mixture has the consistency of a soft dough.

Transfer dough into a loaf pan that has been lightly greased or coated in cooking spray. Bake 20 minutes or until top is golden brown and feels spongey when you press on the top (springs back as opposed leaving an indention).