This week I’ve been trying to readjust back to my normal, quiet, food blogging life after spending 7 days in a row working behind the scenes on a production that was in Austin filming cooking shows. That meant waking up at 5 am every morning and usually working 12 hour days. On the plus side, it also meant hanging with the chefs of really cool restaurants, learning their trade secrets, and getting to eat their delicious food. Not all the dishes were vegan, so I wasn’t able to eat everything, but the rest of the crew knew to clear a path for me whenever a vegan dish made an appearance! It was a really fun experience and I got to meet some awesome people and gain 5 pounds from eating all day/everyday. 🍴
No more home fries and cupcakes and fried green tomatoes. At least, not all in one day. Back to fruits, veggies, and legumes. A couple of weeks ago I was craving a veggie and cheese casserole and brainstormed what my options were. I was staying with my friend at her lake house and her neighbor had given her a huge zucchini fresh from his garden, so I gathered together some quinoa, fresh basil, vegan cheese, and a couple of other ingredients to create a healthy & satisfying casserole dish. It’s very lasagna-esque thanks to the pasta taste of the quinoa, homemade tomato sauce, cheese, and basil. So if you’re craving some healthy Italian food, this is your dish!
Okay, so it kind of looks like a hot mess when you spoon it out (see first photo), but trust me, it’s completely tasty and cheesy & awesome!
The first step is to soak the quinoa in water to remove the acidic outer layer. There’s 2 benefits to this: your body is able to absorb more nutrients from the quinoa, and it makes it easier to cook. You can either soak it overnight or the day of, just try to soak for at least 7 hours.
Once you’re ready to prepare the dish, drain & rinse the quinoa. Bring water to a boil (it’s a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water), add the quinoa and reduce to low heat. Depending on how much quinoa you’re cooking, it could take anywhere from 30 mins-1 hour to get a nice, fluffy texture with all the moisture absorbed.
While your quinoa is cooking, heat a large pan with some extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil. Saute onion and garlic until golden brown. Put into a blender with fresh tomatoes, some basil leaves, salt, and pepper. Blend until until everything is mixed. This will be your homemade tomato sauce. Of course, you don’t have to make it at home. If you prefer to buy sauce, that’s totally fine. If you do make your own sauce, be sure that it’s thick and not watery, otherwise it will make the finished dish liquidy (Hi.✋Guilty).
In the same pan, saute slices of the zucchini in oil until they are nice and browned on both sides. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can use the same seasonings for your quinoa once it’s cooked.
Spoon the quinoa into your casserole dish, spread evenly, and smooth down. Pour the tomato sauce over. Layer your zucchini slices on top. Sprinkle a layer of vegan cheese on top. If you love basil, you could also put a few leaves straight onto the dish. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
It’s a pretty easy dish to make, especially if you buy tomato sauce instead of making it. It tastes best straight from the oven, with a couple of minutes to cool down. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. If you don’t want to use quinoa as the base, you could go for brown rice or millet. Or hey, some vegan & gluten free lasagna or whatever kind of pasta you like! And if you aren’t crazy about zucchini, substitute it for any veggie that sounds good. Makes about 4 servings.
- 1 cup quinoa, soaked overnight
- 2 cups water
- 1 large zucchini, sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes
- a few slices of white onion
- 3-5 cloves of garlic
- garlic powder
- salt & pepper
- olive oil or coconut oil
- fresh basil
- Daiya Mozzarella Cheese Shreds (or any vegan cheese)
- The first step is to soak the quinoa in water to remove the acidic outer layer. You can either soak it overnight or the day of, just try to soak for at least 7 hours.
- Once you're ready to prepare the dish, drain & rinse the quinoa. Bring water to a boil (it's a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water), add the quinoa and reduce to low heat. Depending on how much quinoa you're cooking, it could take anywhere from 30 mins-1 hour to get a nice, fluffy texture with all the moisture absorbed.
- While your quinoa is cooking, heat a large pan with some extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil. Saute onion and garlic until golden brown. Put into a blender with fresh tomatoes, some basil leaves, salt, and pepper. Blend until until everything is mixed. This will be your homemade tomato sauce. Of course, you don't have to make it at home. If you prefer to buy sauce, that's totally fine. If you do make your own sauce, be sure that it's thick and not watery, otherwise it will make the finished dish liquidy.
- In the same pan, saute slices of the zucchini in oil until they are nice and browned on both sides. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can use the same seasonings for your quinoa once it's cooked.
- Spoon the quinoa into your casserole dish, spread evenly, and smooth down. Pour the tomato sauce over. Layer your zucchini slices on top. Sprinkle a layer of vegan cheese on top. If you love basil, you could also put a few leaves straight onto the dish. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- It tastes best straight from the oven, with a couple of minutes to cool down. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. If you don't want to use quinoa as the base, you could go for brown rice or millet. Or hey, some vegan & gluten free lasagna or whatever kind of pasta you like! And if you aren't crazy about zucchini, substitute it for any veggie that sounds good. Makes about 4 servings.
Pair this dish with a big, green salad and you’re good to go! Enjoy 🙂
Jillian ♥
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