Crazy Good Quinoa

I read an article in the Chicago Tribune yesterday that said eating red meat significantly increases your risk of premature death.  I guess Luke Danes was right.

The article talks about a Harvard Medical School study that  showed eating red meat or processed meat (like cold cuts and hotdogs) contributing to early deaths.   Personally,  I take a lot of these new health studies with a hefty grain of salt.  I'm a proponent of having everything in moderation.  Except hotdogs because they are gross.

I dare any of you to watch Food Network's "How It's Made" hotdog episode and look at them the same way.  Impossible.

Anyhoo, today I bring you a meatless recipe.  I'd like to say that this is in keeping with the theme of the article above, but it's really more due to my being too cheap to buy meat on a regular basis.  It's so much cheaper to just live off of quinoa and beans.  Seriously.

I have a habit of roasting up a bunch of vegetables at the beginning of the week and tossing them together with quinoa or rice throughout the week.  It's quick, nutritious and generally tasty.  This recipe features some roasted chickpeas which really elevated this dish's appeal to me.  I will definitely be making this again soon and hope you all give it a try, as well!

Crazy Good Quinoa

Ingredients:

Quinoa

Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted peppers and mushrooms

Marinara sauce

Directions:

Cook quinoa according to package instructions.

Chop peppers and slice mushrooms.  Arrange in a single layer on a baking dish and drizzle with oil.  Season with basil and parsley and stir to combine.  Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

In a bowl, mix together the chickpeas and oil, salt and pepper.  Spread on a baking dish.  In a 325 degree oven, bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Combine all ingredients.