Day 7 - Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Up until making this dish I never liked Quinoa, despite its healthy attributes.  I had it a few times when I belonged to a gym that had a café in it, and every time I was disappointed.  It turns out, it was because they were making it wrong!  It was almost always crunchy and just icky.  When I made it last night, it wasn’t crunchy at all, and in fact, was pretty tasty.  I always like finding comfort food recipes that you can make healthier versions of because I want the yumminess of having something I love but not with all the fat and calories. 

I found the pin below a long time ago and have never tried it.  Mac and Cheese is a weekly favorite in our house, but Quinoa or any new “super food” is always a gamble with my husband.  I decided that this challenge was an excellent excuse to make him eat it.  HA!  Our 13 month old absolutely loved it, which I was delighted by.  Quinoa will soon be in regular rotation in our house!

Source: aroundthetableri.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

So here’s what I did, I put some oil in a heavy sauce pan, heated up my broccoli.  Then I added the Quinoa and some garlic to get it toasty for about 5 minutes over medium heat.  I added 3 cups of water, but you can add chicken broth if you like for more flavor, and some Cajun seasoning.  During this time I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees (the instructions said 350, but I was in a little bit of a hurry as our toddler needed to eat) and prepped my Pyrex with some olive oil.  I put a lid on my Quinoa mixture and let it reduce for about 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  I let it cool for 5 minutes.  During the cooling phase, I mixed ½ cup egg beaters to 1 cup of milk.  After 5 minutes, I dumped 2 cups of reduced fat shredded cheddar and the milk/egg mixture into my skillet, mixed it up, and poured it into the square Pyrex dish. I topped with Panko Bread crumbs and popped it into the oven for 25 minutes. 

Here’s the yummy goodness straight out of the oven. 

Reviews were mixed.  Remi loved it and ate a lot.  Mike said it was “Ok, but it’s Quinoa” whatever that means.  I thought it was a tasty, healthier option for one of my favorite comfort foods.  I think it’s worth repeating since it wasn’t terribly difficult to make and for the three of us it leaves some good leftovers for another night of the week when we’re busy but need a healthy option.