#7- Quinoa Mac N' Cheese

What it's supposed to look like

Original Source: Around the Table

I've been hearing a lot about Quinoa but have to admit, had no clue what the heck it was. But the above picture grabbed my interest. It looked a tiny bit like cheese grits, a personal favorite, but is pretty darn healthy (especially if you use a more healthful cheese.)

So I took a crack at it. Here are my efforts:

What you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cup quinoa (rinsed and drained)
• veggies of your choice (optional -- I opted for none because I figured I had enough of a challenge getting the kids to eat the quinoa without adding green stuff to it)
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non fat milk (I used 1 %, but have seen others use almond milk for this)
• 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated... plus more for topping
• topping, optional - panko bread crumbs or red pepper flakes ( I had neither of these on hand so I used regular bread crumbs instead. Worked fine, though I imagine Panko is better, since it simply is better on everything.)

What to do:

• If you're using veggies, saute them first
• cook quinoa to package directions
• preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 13X9 in casserole dish with nonstick spray
• whisk together milk and eggs in a large bowl
• to the quinoa, add the salt, garlic, seasoning salt
• add quinoa mixture to egg mixture
• fold in cheese well and let cheese melt a bit (pic below)

• transfer to baking dish and apply crumbs or crushed red pepper bits

• Bake 30-35 minutes until crumbs are brown

The finished product:

Final thoughts:
Me: Love love loved it! Would totally eat this instead of grits, even if it's not as creamy.
Teens: Meh. My son thought it tasted like broccoli. He wasn't completely wrong. My daughter didn't say much and ate more than he did, but pretty sure he didn't love it.
Husband: Thought it was okay. Said he'd eat it again but don't think he fell in love like I did.

I will definitely be looking for more Quinoa recipes! It's pricey but really good!

That's it! Have a great meal and express your saucy side!

Heather