Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 60 mins Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: resource from theliveinkitchen.com
2 cup Uncooked quinoa
Olive oil
2 cups Chicken or vegetable stock
1 Eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Medium onion, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1 Zucchini, cubed
2 Cloves garlic
28 ounces Canned diced tomatoes drained
1/4 cup Parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon Dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon Crushed red pepper
2 cups Grated cheese of your choice
1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to broil on high and place an oven rack in the highest position. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt andpepper. Broil in the oven until soft and beginning to brown, stirring once or twice, about 5-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them as oven temperatures may vary, you don't want them to burn. After removing the eggplant, lower the rack to the middle position and turn the oven to bake at 375ºF.
3. Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit. Add the chicken or vegetable stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 more minutes.
5. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, eggplant, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1 cup of grated cheese, parmesan or nutritional yeast, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, top with remaining cheese, and bake 5 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.