Feb 24, 2010

Quinoa and sweet potatoes casserole


About a month ago I made the decision to make another change to my vegetarian diet, not a big one but definitely a healthier one. I adopted the "Eat Clean Diet" developed by Tosca Reno. I look at my eating habits and  life style as  a goal, something I work on  I  to improve every day, not as something I already achieved, so this change is starting small: for the beginning I completely excluded from mine and my family's diet all process food, especially white flour and white sugar. It was a much easier thing to do that I thought.
We are a very active family my boys are doing sports every day and my husband and I, 3 to 4 times a week ( depending on time and schedule). Kick-boxing is an amazing way to work out, its fun and in 45 minutes you burn between 600 to 800 calories (wow)! Thanks  Monica!

Anyway let's get back to the recipe. This recipe comes from Tosca Reno's cookbook" The eat clean diet cookbook". I only made some little changes in the recipe to suit my taste.

Ingredients:

1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
2 ribs celery trimmed and chopped
4 cloves garlic finely minced
3/4 cup quinoa ( or if not available, bulgur, wheat berries or brown rice works too)very well rinsed.
2 tsp of italian herbs or if you like, Herbs of Provence ( my favorite)
1 1/2 cup of low sodium vegetable stock or water ( I used water)
2 sweet potatoes scrubbed and cooked ( in the microwave, or baked in the oven)
1 cup of canned stewed tomatoes
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup frozen edamame
sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy-based skillet,heat the olive oil, add the onion garlic, quinoa ( or your favorite grain)the herbs and celery. Cook until the onion and celery are soft ( about 5 to 6 minutes)


Add water or stock and the cup of stewed tomatoes. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook until the quinoa or the grain you chose is tender.




Scrub the sweet potatoes and cook. I did so in the microwave, but you can use the oven as well. The only difference is that in the microwave it takes 6 to 7 minutes, in the oven on 450˚F about 45 minutes.

When the grain is tender add the frozen edamame and chickpeas, salt and pepper. Stir well. Place the mixture in a prepared 6 quart casserole (lightly oiled).



Slice the sweet potatoes and arrange on top of the mixture.


Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and bake in a preheated oven of 400˚F for 15 to 20 minutes.




Enjoy!



28 comments:

motherrimmy said...

I adore quinoa. It's a complete protein, so I use it often. What a great combination for a nutritious meal. Yum!

What a great commitment you've made for your health. I'm not a vegan, or vegetarian, but we do eat meat free at least twice a week.

Laura said...

Yes, quinoa is a must in a vegetarian diet, I call it " the super grain". The fact that is so versatile and it can be used in savoury dishes as well as in sweet ones is a plus:-)

My Little Space said...

Laura dear, this is such a wonderful dish! Love the combo especially the sweet potatoes!

Cooking with tien said...

Hi, Laura,
I have tried to incorporate quinoa into our diet. My family will not eat it. We have been trying to eat healthier too. Sometimes if you toast the quinoa without any oil, it tastes a little nuttier. -Tien

Rita said...

I love quinoa and always on the lookout for another way to serve; this sound super good! thank you.
Rita

Momo said...

o ,laura,i love quinoa ,too.but in romania is so expansive...plus ca o gasesc si la un singur magazin in oras...eu i-am dat si micutului,a papat-o,dar fara interes.

Drick said...

wonderful dish, not like anything I normally cook as you know ... but the addition of sweet potatoes seems like I would really love this

notyet100 said...

this looks so yum ,new for me thnks for the recipe,..

Laura said...

Thank you Kristy! I love sweet potatoes as well:-)

Laura said...

Hi Tien,
I'm lucky, my family loves quinoa, It's true that the boys like it better when I prepare for breakfast ( on the sweet side).

Laura said...

Hi Rita,
I'm glad that you like the recipe, I do have more of them. Quinoa is my maine grain (LOL)

Laura said...

HI Simona,
Noi sintem norocosi, aici nu este scumpa. Eu cumpar organica,care a fost deja spalata si uscata pentru ca am retete care cer faina de quinoa si atunci trebuie sa o macin. Coppi mei o maninca dar numai preparata pentru micul dejun, indulcita cu maple sirop si cu fructe uscate inauntru.

Laura said...

Hi Drick,
I appreciate you stopping by, I know this is not your "cup of tea"(LOL).

Laura said...

@notyet100
I'm glad you like it:-)

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

wow this looks fantastic!

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

What a wonderful dish cant wait to try this!

Divina Pe said...

That's a beautiful salad Laura. I am a huge fan of both quinoa and sweet potatoes so this dish is going to be a winner. I think I've heard of the book to but thanks for mentioning it.

My Little Space said...

Laura, I've left something for you. Please kindly stop by my blog to collect it. Thanks!

Sarea in bucate said...

Pe aripi de primavara
8 Martie lin coboara
Si in a lui privire
Va aduce mult noroc si fericire !Cu drag, Just me:)

Mary Bergfeld said...

This looks and sounds wonderful. I happen to be a fan of quinoa so I know I'll love this recipe. I really like your blog and will be back often.

Jeannie said...

Hi Laura,

How are you and your boys? Been a while since your last post, guess you must be busy huh?:D
Looking forward to seeing more of you in the blogging world. Cheers!

Laura said...

Hi Jeannie,

Nice to hear from you. You are right, I'm very busy with the boy, hopefully , now that the summer break is upon us I will have more time :-D.

Cooking with tien said...

Thanks for the follow-up. I will try to make it for breakfast and slowly get them to eat quinoa.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that just looks great. And I love all the colors in this dish.. this recipe is perfect, i love sweet potatoes :D i should try this one day, thanks for sharing! I'd love to share this to my friends too in Foodista . I hope you don't mind? Just add the foodista widget for sweet potato at the end of this post, then that should do it. :) The widget will direct readers to this recipe when they Thanks, keep on sharing! Cheers, Amy from Australia

Unknown said...

Its very colorful and I love sweet potato! Thanks!

Sorin said...

LA MULTI ANI DE 8 MARTIE !

Anonymous said...

La multi ani si un 8 Martie plin de sanatate si fericire!

Unknown said...

Healthy and simply lovely recipes, instructions.... I cook with quinoa too and love the wholesome nutty taste.

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