Photo Worthy Dinner: Broccoli & Apple Quinoa

We had to work late last night, so by the time we got home I was quickly loosing steam. Alas, dinner was not going to cook itself. Plus, the cupboards were relatively bare and the refrigerator only contained a few lone fresh ingredients. (Yes, it's time to restock.)

As the saying goes "necessity is the mother of all invention." Well, a quick and easy dinner was a necessity that turned out to be a successful, tasty invention.

(photo by Renato Ghio)

Broccoli & Apple Quinoa
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 small head of broccoli, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium-sized apple, diced
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup of chopped cashews
• 8 tablespoons freshly grated cheddar cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the quinoa.
2. In a medium saucepan add the rinsed quinoa and vegetable broth. Bring it to a boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for about 15 minutes.
3. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan.
4. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes.
5. Now add the diced apple and finely chopped broccoli. Saute until just tender.
6. Toss in the lemon zest and chopped nuts. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Mix around the pan to evenly distribute.
7. Reduce heat to low until the quinoa is ready.
8. Once the quinoa is done, place a hearty spoonful of it in each bowl.
9. Evenly divide the broccoli and apple mixture among the bowls.
10. Top each bowl with 2 tablespoons of cheddar cheese and serve it up.
    

Alternatives

• I love nuts and the cashews added a creamy crunch, but feel free to use whatever type of nuts you have on hand or eliminate them all together.
• No apple, try a pear. No broccoli, try cauliflower.