Saffron Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

This recipe was adapted from Alicia Silverstone's Moroccan Cous Cous Recipe from the book The Kind Diet. I love that book, and I also love to adapt recipes. I decided to use quinoa to up the protein, and made a few other tweaks as well. If you are not a quinoa fan, try her cous cous recipe, it is great.

I paired this dish with a new version of my beloved lentil coconut curry soup, for a warming and hearty fall dinner.

Saffron Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
5 cups vegetables, diced into bite-sized pieces (I used 2 cups zucchini, 1 cup carrot, 1 cup turnip, 1 cup parsnip - you could use sweet potato, squash, and/or beets too)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp saffron threads
pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare the veggies and toss them with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Layer the veggies in a large baking dish and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, mixing them halfway through baking. At thirty minutes, check the vegetables to see if they are cooked through. If not put back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so.

While the vegetables are roasting, start cooking the quinoa.

Rinse the quinoa and put it in a saucepan with the 3 cups of vegetable broth, cumin, saffron and nutmeg. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, fluff the quinoa and reserve. You can also cook quinoa in a rice cooker, use the same measurements and the white rice setting.

Once the quinoa is ready, and the vegetables are done, mix them together, taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve warm.

For 8 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 217 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 211 Calories from Fat 71

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7.9g 12%

Saturated Fat 1.1g 6%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 604mg 25%

Potassium 493mg 14%

Total Carbohydrates 28.6g 10%

Dietary Fiber 4.3g 17%

Sugars 3.4g

Protein 7.3g

Vitamin A 47% • Vitamin C 21% Calcium 4% • Iron 12%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet