Garlic Broccoli Quinoa *VEGAN*

Quinoa is one of those insanely healthy foods that seems to complicated for the average cook to make.  But this is completely false!  Quinoa is a seed related to the spinach family and is naturally gluten free.  It is packed with protein, magnesium, fiber, and many more incredible things for your body.  Think about pasta and rice dishes, with just a few changes, these dishes can be transformed into a healthier version with Quinoa.

My family and I love Quinoa.  It's delicious and filling.  There has not been a dish that I've made that we haven't loved.

With any Quinoa dish there is a little forethought that has to be made.  If you want to make a Quinoa dish, it is best to soak the seeds the night before.  This soaking gets rid of the bitter coating on the seeds.

This dish is delicious, but you must love garlic to enjoy this dish.

Garlic Broccoli Quinoa

You Will Need

• Quinoa- 1 Cup serves 4

• Olive Oil

• Garlic- 5 cloves for every 1 Cup of Quinoa, 1 Clove for the Broccoli

• Vegetable Broth- 2 Cups

• Spinach- 1 Cup

• Broccoli- 1 Head, Roughly 1 Cup when chopped up

• Garlic Salt

• Pepper

Steps

1. Coat the bottom of your skillet with Olive Oil.  Heat the skillet and add your 5 chopped Garlic Cloves.  Sautee the Garlic until brown.
2. Drain your soaked Quinoa and add it to the skillet along with the Vegetable Broth.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer while covered for 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
3. While Quinoa is soaking, prepare the Spinach and Broccoli.
4. Roughly chop the Spinach, you can add more if you feel 1 cup is not enough.
5. Roughly chop the Broccoli head and 1 Garlic Clove.  Place on baking sheet, drizzle Olive Oil over it and season with Garlic Salt and Pepper.  Broil on high (500 Degrees) for 5 minutes.  Take the baking sheet out and stir the items, flipping them in the process, and return to broil on high for an addition 5 minutes, or until edges of Broccoli are browning.
6. Once Quinoa has been simmering for 20 minutes, add the Spinach, and the Broccoli and Garlic Mixture to the Quinoa.
7. Mix everything together and season with Pepper and Garlic Salt to taste.

As always leave any comments or questions.

Fish Nachos

I love to cook and my biggest critic is my dad.  So for Father's Day I wanted to make him a meal that he really enjoyed.  He loves Mexican food but often it will hurt his stomach afterwards because of the red meat and the heavy toppings.  I was thinking about making Fish Tacos but instead wanted to try a little something different with Fish Nachos.

Ingredients

• Cod Fillets

• 4 Cod Fillets
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Lime
• 2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
• Pico De Gallo
• 3 Medium Tomatoes
• 1/2 Medium Vidalia Onion
• 1/2 Chopped Cilantro
• 1 Lemon
• Sea Salt to taste
• Vegetable Toppings
• 2 Cups Chopped Spinach
• 1 Sliced Avocado
• 1 Can Black Beans
• White Corn Chips
• 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Habanero Jack Cheese
• 1 Lime
• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Hot Sauce (Optional)

Cod Fillets
Mix the juice from one lime, the olive oil, the sea salt, and the ground pepper.  Brush half of the mixture on the fillets and let soak for about 10 minutes.  Cook the fillets in a covered grill.  3 minutes covered for the first side, flip and brush the rest of the mixture on the fillets.  Cook 2 minutes covered.










Pico de Gallo
Dice the tomatoes and the onion.  Mix together with the juice from 1 lemon and salt to taste.

Assembly
On the individual plates lay out the corn chips.  Cover with a layer of black beans and pieces of the cod fillet.  Cover with shredded cheese.  Put the plate under the broiler on High for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted.  Layer the spinach, pico de gallo, and slices of avocado.  Cover with the plain greek yogurt and a squeeze of lime juice.

The nachos were delicious and very filling.  The word "Perfection" was even uttered from my dad's mouth.  Enjoy these nachos and a very Happy Father's Day to everyone.  If you made these or have any questions please leave a comment.