Quinoa-roni with Brussel Sprouts Recipe
December 28, 2009
Quinoa-roni with brussel sprout slivers
This is a healthier spin-off of the famous Rice-a-Roni. The main components of Rice-a-Roni are pasta and rice. I used orzo for the pasta portion, and quinoa instead of rice. Quinoa (pronounced “keenwah”) is a super food that provides an abundance of nutrition, like fiber and protein. Quinoa is my favorite grain. I absolutely love it with fish, chicken, mixed in salads, and now, in this funky/healthier version of Rice-a-Roni. It fluffs up when cooked and in my opinion is the shining star in this recipe. It gave me the energy and gusto to get through my last holiday week before we were inundated by friends and family Christmas day, which by the way was so much fun!
Where Brussel sprouts come from!
I always thought Brussel sprouts came from a magical stork, until I saw this behemoth at the store. I was surprised to find out that these little cabbage-like cuties grow on this huge stock. So if you happen to find something like this in the store, please get it. Not only do they stay fresher on the stock, it’s more fun to pluck them off yourself. Also, it’s an interesting item to have in your grocery basket, you’ll get strange looks of curiosity.
so delicious...
Ingredients
Optional: To make this vegetarian or vegan; replace chicken broth with vegetable stock
- 2 cups of Brussel sprouts, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth/vegetable broth
Directions
Toss orzo into boiling water and boil for 9 minutes. Strain and set aside in a mixing bowl. For quinoa, bring 1 cup of broth to a boil. Stir in quinoa and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until quinoa gets fluffy. In a frying pan, saute minced garlic in butter. Slice Brussel sprouts lengthwise and lightly brown them in frying pan with a little olive oil. Add all ingredients into the mixing bowl with the orzo and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Optional: mix in a dash of soy sauce if you like.
just wonderful recipe…