Primavera Quinoa: One Dish, Two Different Meals

I love a work-horse recipe.  One that’s simple to make, makes a big batch, can be used in multiple ways throughout the week, and most importantly… everyone LOVES.

Well, my hubs, the kids and I really dug this recipe for Primavera Quinoa.  It tastes great on it’s own, which is how I served it the first night.  Straight up with grilled chicken breast on top.

The second night, I made a Southwest Shrimp & Quinoa “Lasgna” and layered the leftover quinoa with salsa, cheese and shrimp.  Also fantastic.

Had we not devoured the remaining quinoa for lunch one desperate day last week, we also were planning to make quinoa fritters over an arugala salad.  I’m still pretty excited about that idea, so I’ll have to be making a big batch of Primavera Quinoa again soon.

Here are the recipes for you to get your meal plan started for next week:

Primavera Quinoa
*If you plan to have leftovers, go ahead and make a double batch, which is what I did.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 tsp. vegetable bouillon (I like the “Better than Bouillon” brand.)
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped basil or 2 tsp. dried basil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves minced garlic
5 cups chopped, bite-size veggies: I used zucchini, broccoli, carrots, onions, and mushrooms
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring quinoa and broth to boil; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until broth is absorbed.  While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over med. heat.  Cook garlic in butter for one minute, stirring frequently.  Stir in veggies.  Cook 3-5 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Stir in cream cheese and basil to cooked quinoa.  Add veggies to quinoa mix and sprinkle with cheese.
Serve.

Southwest Shrimp and Quinoa “Lasgana”
Ingredients
3 cups prepared Primavera Quinoa
3/4 # cooked shrimp
1/2 cup salsa
3/4 cup ricotta
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup Mexi-cheese blend, shredded
Tabasco, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix prepared quinoa with ricotta and eggs.  Layer half of quinoa mixture into greased 9×13 dish.  Scatter shrimp, salsa and 1/2 cup cheese over quinoa.  Smooth out remaining quinoa on top of shrimp and cheese.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake 30 minutes until warmed through and bubbling.  Place under broiler for three to five minutes until golden.


Hope you and your family enjoy these dishes as much as we did!