Most of the time I have no problem eating a healthy diet.  But, I’m still human, and some days I come home exhausted wanting only grilled cheese-mac and cheese-cheese pizza-cheese anything.  On those same days, I usually do all sorts of mental backbends and end up convincing myself that making something healthy will take too much time or energy.  (This, even despite the fact that I’ve shared plenty of recipes that would suggest otherwise.)  Thankfully I powered through, made this, and absolutely loved it.  It has only six ingredients, and they are things I nearly always have on hand.  For that reason, this is a perfect healthy recipe for those times when you’re tempted to go a different way.  Six ingredients and minimal effort go a long way in this dish!  Cooking the quinoa in veggie broth rather than water adds an extra layer of flavor, and we loved the combination of the broccoli with the sweet tomatoes and salty feta.

Also, a side note: In case you’ve been following recent articles about ethical farming of quinoa and its impact in countries such as Bolivia, you may be questioning the greatness of this recently popular superfood.  I certainly have been.  Thanks to my friends Alex and Sonja of A Couple Cooks for pointing me in the direction of a source of fair trade quinoa, AlterEco.  Read more about the company and shop here if you’re interested.  (Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with this company, just passing along the information.)

  • Yield about 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups veggie stock
4 oz. crumbled feta, divided

Directions

  • 01

    Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Place the tomatoes and broccoli on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine well.  Bake, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the veggies are just tender, about 30 minutes.  About 5 minutes before the baking time is up, add the garlic to the pan and toss to mix well.

  • 02

    Rinse the quinoa well in a fine mesh sieve before using.  In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa and veggie broth.  Cook the quinoa according to the package directions, until tender and fluffy.  Set aside.

  • 03

    When the quinoa is cooked, add the veggies to the pot and stir to combine.  Stir in about three quarters of the feta.  Serve, topping with a sprinkle of additional feta if desired.

Source

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/10630037873_826de61257_z.jpg