Creamy Quinoa Primavera

Okay, so here is another quinoa dish for you that my family really enjoys. This includes my husband who isn't a big veggie fan but there are a ton in this and they are just so finely chooped you don't even notice them. I originally found the recipe at http://www.letsdishrecipes.com/2011/03/creamy-quinoa-primavera.html but I did make a few changes.

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
2-4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-5 cups finely chopped pieces of assorted uncooked vegetables (I do these really fine and use my little food processor so they are about the same size as the quinoa.  This way if you have a picky eater they won't even notice the vegetables)
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions
Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. Bring quinoa and broth to boil in a 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed. While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minute, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa. Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese. (You can use any vegetables you want.  I've used zuchinni, corn, carrots, onions,  and peppers.)

Cheesy Quinoa

Okay, so I got the original recipe from http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-quinoa-mac-cheese.html.  However, I did make several changes and I changed the name because the original blog gave you the impression that this was going to be like mac n cheese but with quinoa and I didn't feel like it was but it was still very good.  So here's the recipe how I made it.  Enjoy!

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups of chicken broth 
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 1  clove of garlic, minced
• 1  egg
• 1  cup milk
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
• Optional Panko Bread crumbs or crushed ritz for topping

Cook quinoa using chicken broth and garlic according to package instructions. (About 15-20 minutes)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish or large casserole dish with cooking spray.Whisk together egg and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 20-25 mins, until bread crumbs are browned.