Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Recipe for Fall

With Fall temperatures dropping below freezing, I've been craving roasted vegetables, chilis, and soups. Quinoa is an amazing food because it's a complete protein and it's full of fiber. One cup of quinoa has 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein, proving that meat isn't the only way to get great protein. But quinoa can be kind of boring on it's own. So here's one of my favorite ways to make quinoa.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (I love this Organic Super Grains blend from Whole Foods)

1 7/8 cups water (you'll add 2 tbsp. olive oil to round out 2 cups of liquid for the quinoa)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 sweet potato

1 bunch of broccolini (or regular broccoli if you prefer)

1/2 lb Brussels sprouts

1 large beet

1/2 head of cauliflower

1/2 yellow onion

1 tsp basil

1 tsp ground fennel

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Be sure to cut the Brussels sprouts in half so they get nice and crispy on the bottom. Add the vegetables to a large bowl and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in, and then mix all the spices in - basil, ground fennel, oregano, onion powder, sea salt, ground pepper, and a bit of cayenne. Mix the vegetables well, coating them with the oil and spice mixture. Feel free to taste here and add more or adjust to your liking.

Spread vegetables onto two baking sheets, making sure the Brussels spouts are flat side down, and that there's some space between all the veggies. Place baking sheets in the oven and roast for 40 minutes or until they're tender in the middle and crispy on the edges.

While the veggies are cooking, make the quinoa. In a medium-sized saucepan or rice cooker, add quinoa, water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then turn it to low heat and cover with a lid for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the quinoa with a fork.

(I always use a rice cooker for the quinoa because it makes things really easy.)

Once everything is cooked, plate the bowls! Add about 1/2 cup cooked quinoa and mix up a hearty amount of veggies.

Serve with a side of avocado and meat if you wish (grilled chicken, salmon, etc.).