I had almost forgotten about this delicious and easy-to-prepare meal. It’s better suited to cooler weather and I haven’t made it since early spring.
I needed something quick and easy to make because I had no plan and 5 hungry people to feed. I had root veggies, raisins, and nuts. And I always have quinoa. I also had all of the spices I use to make my Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry. This meal took me about 15 minutes to throw together and even better, Milly helped!
I’m still not brave enough to teach her how to use a knife, but she put all of the veggie cubes in a bowl, poured oil all over them, measured the spices, and then mixed the spices with the veggies in oil. That’s a lot for a 3 year old!
So this meal was full of tons of love, too.
I highly, highly recommend getting your kiddos in on the action in the kitchen. It’s my goal to teach Milly and Archer that simple, delicious, and healthy food is super easy to make. Even if she’s not eating everything I make yet, she can see how it comes together and participate in its creation, which someday will translate to diversifying her food choices. I hope.
Anyway, enjoy this deliciousness.
Sweet N’ Spicy Roasted Veggie Quinoa
Serves 4
Ingredients~
4 cups root veggies chopped into small cubes (I like to use carrots, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash)
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander
1 heaping tsp curry
salt/pepper to taste
(optional, 1 tsp dried ginger)
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup quinoa plus 2 cups water
Directions~
Cook your quinoa in the water by brining the quinoa with water to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to very low. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Quinoa should be fluffy. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat the veggies with oil and add in the spices. Mix thoroughly and then bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
Remove from the oven, then add the toasted almonds, the raisins, and the veggies to the quinoa. Mix well. Add salt and pepper as needed. Or more raisins.
I like to serve this with a simple sauteed kale. The greens pair nicely with the spicy veggies!
