After Christmas I was craving some very wholesome meals. I wasn't alone on that one, was I?
Not that I ate entirely poorly through the holidays. In fact, my "junk" eating probably makes for a stellar day for most sorry blokes and their SAD diet!
But, I was doing my part to increase chocolate consumption for the year. Bark, fudge, truffles, liquor chocolates - you name it, in vegan form I ate it! ...and other desserts and treats. Though we mostly ate our regular foods during those days (we didn't have a lot of hosting or visiting to do), I still felt the need for some very healthful meals, and this was one of them.
This
Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole has taken many forms since I starting testing it - oh, about a year ago!! I began with an all-legume dish, combining chickpeas and adzuki beans with zucchini, fennel, and the seasonings. Then, I changed it because I ended up pairing a grain on the side, so why not bake the grain in there??! I used brown rice to begin with, and then this last time used quinoa and changed the zucchini to red pepper. I'm giving both rice/quinoa options in this recipe for
Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan, since both were lovely in this dish.
The quinoa reminds me of confetti, and since we ate this 'final version' during the New Year, it felt festive and celebratory, so I settled on this name for the dish.
Forgot to mention how easy it is... all ingredients are chucked into a baking dish, covered, then pass the baton over to the oven.
Remember this Warm Potato Spinach Salad with Pine Nut Dressing?
This has been a popular salad for many folks I know, and so I wanted to share it with you for your summer bbq's and picnics.
