Quinoa and Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad

I loooooove quinoa. It is the best grain in the world and is so so good for you! One of my favorite things about this grain is that it can be used in sweet and savory dishes. It’s a great substitute for rice, and is basically just like rice, except richer in protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and…no cholesterol! I also love Brussels sprouts. They taste great when roasted or broiled in the oven, and are also rich in protein, fiber and vitamin C. So, what better dish than to combine the two? This is one of my favorite vegan dishes, so…let us begin!

You will need:

– 1 cup quinoa (regular, red quinoa or rainbow quinoa)

– 1 pack of Brussels sprouts (about 4 to 5 cups)

– 1 pack of organic mushrooms

– 2 cloves garlic

– 1 tsp cayenne pepper flakes

– 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

– 2 tbsp. coconut oil

– 1 tsp pepper

– bit of salt

The first step is to cook the quinoa, which is very simple, as it is cooked just like rice. You will add 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. Put 2 cups water in a pot, rinse the quinoa, then add it to the water. Cook on high until water starts boiling, then set it on low until the water has evaporated and the quinoa is cooked. You will know when it is done when you see little sprout tails coming out of the quinoa grains:

While the quinoa is cooking, we will also work on our Brussels sprouts. First wash the veggies, then peel off the outer layers of leaves. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, and put them in a large mixing bowl. Wash the mushrooms and also cut them lengthwise and add to the bowl.

Add the balsamic vinegar, coconut oil (may need to be warmed up to turn liquid), salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly until the sprouts are saturated in the balsamic mixture.

In this particular mixture, I am also adding sweet baby peppers and one white onion

Once all the veggies are mixed, spread out evenly on a greased baking tray for quick baking. Put your oven on the broiler setting and place the veggies on the bottom tray. This will allow them to cook for a bit without burning.

Cook for about 10 minutes, taking the tray out of the oven from time to time to mix the veggies around. Once they are browned, take out of the oven. You then have two choices, you can add half to the quinoa and spoon half out into a bowl, season with pepper flakes and eat as a separate veggie dish as I like to:

Or, you can take all the veggies and mix them into the cooked quinoa. Either way is perfect, and either way you are done! This our veggie quinoa dish and it is soooo good! Season with red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast or soy sauce for a stir-fry taste.