Show of hands – How many of you have eaters remorse?
Yeah, me too.
I have plowed all the way through the Halloween candy and didn’t stop until I hit a fruitcake coma. Seriously people, we are talking 2 months of total indulgence.
And it was delicious.
Okay now show of hands, and let’s be honest, how many people are wearing their “fat pants” every day because no other pants fit?
And because of that I have decided to do a month of healthy blog posts. Don’t worry all SUGARB (that’s what I call the Sugar Carb love. You know like Brad + Angelina = Branjelina. Sugar + Carb = SUGARB. ) recipes will return in February when as a baker I MUST makes sweets for the sweet. But until then, the SUGARBs are on lock down, and the Healthy recipes are getting dusted off.
We’ll start today, with this Broccoli Cheese Quinoa Casserole.
I found this while searching pinterest for healthy cooking inspiration (you can follow me Here) and since I have a Costco size bag of Quinoa thought I would give it a try. I modified it only slightly.
Linda @ Eating Well…Living Thin also has a recipe for Quinoa pudding (like rice pudding but with Quinoa) that I think I might try. Brown rice pudding, from Jillian Michaels, is first (next week).
Anyway, this casserole is delicious and it makes a wonderful side dish to chicken. All the chewy nuttiness of the Quinoa, combined with the melty cheese and crisp broccoli, yum! Even the kids loved it.
Broccoli Cheese Quinoa Casserole
1-10 oz can condensed light, Broccoli Cheese Soup
1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)
1/2 teaspoon sugar or 1 packet of splenda
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cooked broccoli
1 1/2 cups COOKED quinoa (see note)
Feshly grated Parmesan cheese
*To cook quinoa:
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
*Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear. In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible. Fluff with a fork.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a shallow (8×8 in or 5-6 cups) casserole dish – or individual ramekins – with vegetable cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, Splenda, & pepper, until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa and broccoli.
Spoon mixture into prepared casserole. Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for ramekins) or until bubbly on the edges and golden. Makes 8 generous 1/2-cup servings.
Enjoy!
In addition to eating healthier I also added get back to the gym, have more patience with my kids, be more on time, and learn to relax, on my list of resolutions.
What are your resolutions for 2012?
~Sandy
Nice and healthy. Thanks