This Moroccan Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables dish is really versatile, is a healthy side dish or a meal for lunch or dinner..with just a touch of spice!

Moroccan Quinoa and Vegetables - Healthy and Gluten Free!

After the popularity of Gluten Free Chicken and Corn Koftas , here, as promised, is the delicious recipe for Moroccan Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables!

This is a really versatile recipe as we have this as a healthy side dish
or sometimes we have it as a meal for lunch or dinner.

Moroccan Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables! (GF)

It is really easy to make and it is gluten free!! ...healthy AND tastes great ...bonus!!

but...

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa

Quinoa pronounced 'keen-wah' is a healthy whole grain that has significant nutrition and health benefits. It is packed with protein, fibre, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals and is low in cholesterol and sodium.

Quinoa is an ancient grain and it originated in the mountainous regions of South America, 7,000 year ago.

The tips to cooking Moroccan Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables!

The tip to this recipe is that I cook the Quinoa...

in a rice cooker...
yes!....
..a rice cooker!!

Gone are the days where I cook the Quinoa grain in a saucepan (and sometimes it was fluffy and some times it is not! :-/ ) Cooking it in the rice cooker ensures that the quinoa is fluffy!!

As Quinoa does not have a strong flavour, actually it is quite bland, I cook the Quinoa with chicken stock! I cook 2 cups of Quinoa (organic white quinoa) to 4 ¼ cups of gluten free chicken stock.

Depending on the quinoa you might need to experiment with the amount of water you need to use, in your rice cooker.

(¼ cup of stock/water can make all the difference!)

Once it has finished cooking in the rice cooker, I use a fork to separate and fluff up the quinoa.

Recipe for Moroccan Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables - Gluten Free!

Ingredients

To serve 4 - large serve

2 cups of quinoa - I use organic white quinoa
4 ½ cups of chicken stock
1 cup of pumpkin - diced
¾ cup of zucchini - diced
½ cup of eggplant- diced
½ cup of diced capsicum
Cumin seeds or ground cumin
Coriander Seeds or ground coriander seeds.
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lime or lemon - juice and zest
Fresh coriander
Salt and cracked black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to cook the vegetables. Diced the vegetables and add them to a bowl. Add two tablespoon of olive oil, the paprika, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and mix, so the vegetables are covered with the oil and seeds.
Place them on an oven tray and cook in the oven for ½ hour or until they start to turn golden brown.
While the vegetables are cooking, cook the quinoa in a rice cooker, with the chicken stock. When it is cooked, use a fork to fluff the quinoa.
Once the vegetables and quinoa are cooked, combine them together, and add the coriander, salt, pepper, and fresh lime/lemon juice and mix. Top with coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Moroccan Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables - GF!

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Author: www.sparklesintheeveryday.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 cups of quinoa - I use organic white quinoa
4½ cups of chicken stock
1 cup of pumpkin - diced
¾ cup of zucchini - diced
½ cup of eggplant- diced
½ cup of diced capsicum
Cumin seeds or ground cumin
Coriander Seeds or ground coriander seeds.
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lime or lemon - juice and zest
Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
Salt and cracked black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to cook the vegetables. Diced the vegetables and add them to a bowl. Add two tablespoon of olive oil, the paprika, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and mix, so the vegetables are covered with the oil and seeds.
Place them on an oven tray and cook in the oven for ½ hour or until they start to turn golden brown.
While the vegetables are cooking, cook the quinoa in a rice cooker, with the chicken stock. When it is cooked, use a fork to fluff the quinoa.
Once the vegetables and quinoa are cooked, combine them together, and add the coriander, salt, pepper, and fresh lime/lemon juice and mix. Top with coriander (cilantro) leaves.