Baked Quinoa with Spiced Apples, Carrots and Red Onions

Baked Quinoa with Spiced Apples, Carrots and Red Onions

Adapted from Tasting Table Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 cup / 6 oz / 170 gr quinoa, picked and rinsed

2 cups / 500 ml hot water

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

3 medium carrots, peeled, halved and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 medium apple, cored and chopped into 1-inch cubes

1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

zest of one lemon

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh parsley (or cilantro), finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F (200°C), place a rack in the middle.

In a small bowl combine cardamom, coriander, black pepper, chili powder and ¾ teaspoon salt. In a 9x13-inch baking dish add carrots, apples, red onions and olive oil. Add spice mixture and stir to combine.

In a 8-inch baking dish add the rinsed quinoa and spread onto an even layer.

Place quinoa and veggies in the oven.

Let the quinoa roast in the oven for about 7 to 8 minutes. Take it out, pour the hot water over it and loosely cover with aluminium foil (be careful not to burn yourself while doing this, I learned the hard way!)

Cook the quinoa in the oven until it uncoils and looks fluffy, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the quinoa from the oven, fluff with a fork, re-cover with foil and set aside.

In the meantime, continue to roast the veggies, stirring occasionally (be careful not to burn yourself). The veggies are ready when the onion starts to caramelize, about 30 minutes (it’s should be about the same amount of time it takes the quinoa to roast, cook and rest).

When veggies are ready, uncover quinoa, stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley.

Serve topped with roasted vegetables.