Are you tired of quinoa posts yet? Or should we just go ahead and declare all Mondays to be Quinoa Mondays?
Deconstructed lasagna is not a novel idea. It's probably been around since the first time some Italian chef forgot to oil up the pan and ended up with a big lasagna stuck to it like glue. The chef probably dumped the non-stuck bits into a bowl and served it to some unsuspecting sucker as Deconstructed Lasagna.
Of course, this isn't even an authentic, unsuspecting-sucker-approved deconstructed lasagna because there is no pasta in it. Or sauce. But it has cheese and tomato! That's close enough.
These bowls have all the other ingredients I like to see in my regular lasagna. Mushrooms, spinach, tomato, garlic, basil, and mozzarella. My mozzarella of choice is always Daiya. As I mentioned before, this recipe makes enough quinoa for one person, because Mr. Wing-It is not very keen on quinoa.
Ha! Get it?
Come on! That's funny! Keen on keen-wa?
Anybody?
Pity chuckle?
*cricket chirping*
Anyway, if your people are keen on quinoa, this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled or multiplied as needed.
| Deconstructed Lasagna-Style Quinoa Bowls Serves one lonely diner. 1 or 2 tsp olive oil 2 or 3 mushrooms, washed and cut into quarters a large handful of baby spinach, coarsely chopped 1 garlic clove, minced salt and black pepper to taste 1 small tomato, peeled, deseeded and coarsely chopped 4 or 5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped or minced 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dry oregano (optional) 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed 1 cup vegetable or chicken-style broth your favorite vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded 1. Preheat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Throw in the mushrooms and cook for four or five minutes or until wilted and their liquid has evaporated. 2. Throw in the baby spinach and cook for about a minute or until fairly wilted. 3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. I like to clear a little spot in the center of the saucepan and cook the garlic in there without the spinach and the mushrooms getting in the way. Add a little bit of oil if the garlic is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. 4. Add the tomato, basil, oregano, quinoa, and broth. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. If your broth is salted, you're probably good to go, if not you will need to add a little bit of salt to taste. 5. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until all the broth has been absorbed. 6. When the quinoa is done, remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for five minutes. 7. Fluff it up with a fork, throw in your shredded cheese and cover the pot again to let the cheese get nice and soft. NOTES: You can serve it with some marinara on top, but I found that the mushrooms and the tomato kept it plenty saucy for my taste. Throw a vegan Italian sausage in there! I didn't have any, but it would have been extra tasty with a nice, sliced little sausage. |
Are you in the Northern hemisphere? Are you buried in snow? If you're in the Southern hemisphere, can you take in our backyard birds, ducks, and geese who have had enough of winter already? Which brings us to today's animal picture/optical illusion.
Which goose is the biggest in the picture below?
Look closer. All three are exactly the same size. It's an optical illusion.
OK, that's not true.