Tri-color organic Quinoa with roasted vegetables

Need a quick side dish that is healthy and moist?  Look no further, this tri-colored quinoa can be served up with a main course or just as a side.  Best of all, it is vegetarian and gluten-free.   You’ll find the bold, beautiful colors of this dish both satisfying to your senses as well as your waistline.  I don’t have a recipe per se, but I will attempt to itemize the ingredients used and the assembly of the grain bowl.  All I can say is that it packed a mean flavor punch for sure.

First and foremost prep all the vegetables into bite sized pieces.  I used red/yellow/orange peppers.  I added some chopped eggplant too, purple onion, chopped up zucchini, 3 pods of garlic finely chopped, lots of extra virgin olive oil and fresh thyme.   I then roasted the vegetables in the oven at 350deg, making sure that none of the pieces overlapped or the vegetables would stew.  What we are looking for are tinged black tips, so make sure you keep an eye on it.  I peek into my oven each time to see if it is ready.  The chopped purple onion caramelizes it all lending a subtle sweetness to the dish.

While the veggies are roasting in the oven, cook the quinoa in chicken or vegetable broth.  When the roasted veggies and the quinoa are cooked, mix both in a bowl with lots of olive oil and the juices.  Mix it all with a spatula.

Now for the yummy part.  I love using fresh herbs in a lot of my dishes and this one has an abundance of fresh herbs that elevate the dish and bring it to life.  I used fresh herbs like basil, flat leaf parsley, chives, thyme and mint.  Next I juiced one lemon and lime and drizzled it all over the couscous and roasted vegetables.  A glug of olive oil and some coarse sea salt and fresh ground black pepper rounds off the dish nicely.

This dish can be eaten warm or cold, it’s just so delicious either way.

Here you have it, a delicious and satisfying vegetarian dish.  As the fork was raked along the roasted vegetables in the bowl, light little grain-like seeds came sprinkling down onto them, golden and black and red, blanketing them in a warm, moist covering.

This beautiful and colorful quinoa dish was lovingly tossed with a luxurious drizzling of olive oil and lemon and a decorative dash of tasty herbs.  Feel free to use whatever vegetables or herbs you have on hand.  Toast some pine nuts and chop up some more fresh parsley and serve.