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Is Spring starting to show itself where you live? The Cherry trees are in bloom, tiny leaves are starting to appear on the Maple trees and Daffodils are popping up everywhere! I love Spring and the warmer temperatures that it brings! So take off the grill cover because it’s time to fire it up and get cookin!
I am always looking for ways to get more veggies into my families diet and this is the perfect solution. It is a good idea to try to eat as many colors of the rainbow as possible and this recipe is spot on with color, nutrition (thanks to one of my favorite ingredients – quinoa) and of course flavor. I recently served this at an office luncheon and many people had never heard of quinoa and were sure that it would not taste good since it was good for you. I am happy to say that they all went back for seconds and I made several coverts that day. So you see – eating healthy doesn’t have to equal food that doesn’t taste good, you just have to find the right ways to prepare it and I think that you will be pleasantly surprised!
You will love the smoky flavors that come from the charred vegetables and the nuttiness that the toasted pine nuts bring to this dish. This dish originally came about from leftover grilled vegetables that I had from another dinner. I simply chopped up the extra veggies, cooked some quinoa and tossed it all together. You can leave out the pine nuts and feta if you prefer but they are a delicious addition. I love the flavors that this brings to the table and I hope you do to!
Chef Amy
| Grilled Vegetables with Quinoa, Pine Nuts and Feta |
- 1 c. quinoa, uncooked
- 1 c. vegetable broth, low sodium
- 1 c. water
- 1 large zucchini or 2 medium
- 2 large yellow squash
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 orange bell pepper
- Morton’s Good Nature Seasoning for veggies
- 3 T. olive oil, divided
- 1-2 T. balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
- 1/3 c. feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 T. Italian parsley, chopped
- In a dry, heavy saucepan over medium/high heat add quinoa and toast, swirling every few minutes. You will start to hear a sound like popcorn popping which is the quinoa toasting. Continue to swirl for a minute or two. This adds great flavor to quinoa, just be careful not to burn.
- Add water and veggie broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and put the lid on. Cook for 15 min or until water is absorbed.
- Preheat grill to medium/high.
- Slice the zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise into 1/4″ strips.
- Cut off both ends of the onion, do not cut in half. Remove skin and cut into 1/2 rounds.
- Remove the core and seeds from the bell pepper and cut into large wedges.
- Toss all veggies but onions in a bowl with 2 T. olive oil and seasoning.
- Grill vegetables for 3-4 on each side or until tender.
- Using the bowl you seasoned the veggies; carefully add the onions so they don’t separate and lightly coat with oil and seasoning.
- Add onions to the grill – they will take slightly longer to soften so give them a few more minutes being careful not to burn them.
- Chop veggies on a cutting board into bite size pieces.
- In a large bowl add cooked quinoa, chopped veggies, toasted pine nuts, feta cheese, parsley, balsamic vinegar and 1 T. olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
This can be made a day ahead if you want to serve it for a party and have it all ready to go.
6 comments… read them below or add one
I am definitely going to try this recipe! I am always looking for a use for quinoa. Looks colorful and delicious!
Hi, am an Rd setting up a GF recipe page for my clients. I wanted to link up some of your lovely GF recipes. Using the linkz tools, so the image will link directly to your recipe. Working on the page right now, so will not be up until the weekend, but if you have a problem with me linking up, let me know. THX !!
So, If I absolutely hate feta…what would be a great substitute? (b/c the rest of this sounds amazing!)
Torri – you can leave it out all together if you prefer or you can switch it out for grated parmesan, not the kind in the green can
. Thanks for giving the recipe a try I hope you love it! Chef Amy
This sounds delicious! I love meals that I can freeze… have you ever tried freezing this?
Hi Rachel. Yes, this will freeze well! Enjoy.