Recipes from NBC 15 Leigh Mills "Healthy Heart Month" segment with the Recipe Doctor

Baked Quinoa and Spinach Au Gratin

After giving quinoa a closer look, I was impressed to learn what a superfood this grain is. A complete protien, meaning it contains all 9 essesential amino acids, it's a wonderful option for a meatless meal. Not only is quinoa's amino acid profile well balanced, it's also especially rich in lysine, essential for tissue growth and repair. Quinoa also boasts a long list of other healthful nutrients including an abundance of manganese, magnesium and iron.   This recipe was given to me by my friend Amy Bestul and "doctored" up a bit by the Recipe Doctor. Amie herself admits to never making it the same way twice:) No matter what you add or subtract from the ingredient list, this is comfort food at it's best:)

1cup uncooked organic quinoa 2cups water 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 med chopped onion 2-3 cloves garlic 1 8oz pkg baby portabella mushrooms washed and sliced 1 1/2 tsp fresh chopped sage or 1/2 tsp dried 1 9oz bag baby spinach 4 egg whites (or 2 whole eggs) 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1/2 cup mozzarella Salt(about 1/2 tsp) and fresh ground pepper to taste   Optional topping: 1 cup Panco breadcrumbs tossed with 1/4cup parmesan cheese and 1 Tbsp olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Combine quinoa and water in a covered pot, bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes, turn off heat and set aside.

Add olive oil to a large skillet, best if this skillet can go straight into the oven, and add onions and garlic

Saute until they start to get tender, add the mushrooms and sage

When mushrooms are softened, add spinach and cover to wilt.

Mix the eggs and milk then stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper

Add the cooked quinoa to the skillet and combine with the vegetables. Pour egg mixture over the top and bake for 20/25 minutes.

If you are using the optional breadcrumb topping, remove after 20 minutes, sprinkle on topping and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Subscribe to posts