You could try to squeeze more vegan nutrition into an eight-by-eight inch casserole dish, but I don't think it’s possible. This quinoa bake is packed with protein, vitamins, heat and deliciousness that will warm your winter bones.
For this recipe you’ll need quinoa, or “Incan miracle grain” as I like to call it, and soy chorizo. That’s right, chorizo made out of soy! What will they think of next!? Americans can find it at Trader Joe’s and I'm sure Brits will be able to find it at a well stocked store but if not I found these Redwood Cheatin Chorizo-style Chunks available to purchase on line. What's great about soy chorizo is that all the necessary spices are already in there, so your meal is half done the minute you open the package.
A quick note about quinoa, it is very important to rinse the grains before cooking because they have a bitter coating that isn’t very pleasant to eat.
Ingredients
Serves four
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 inches/13 cm soy chorizo, taken out of its casing and crumbled
1 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed
1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks and boiled until tender
1/2 cup rinsed quinoa, cooked with 1 ½ teaspoons dried cilantro
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 medium carrot, grated
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, gas mark 5.
Rinse quinoa well. Place in pot with 1 cup water, cilantro and sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Also, set sweet potato chunks in a pot of water to boil until tender.
While that’s cooking away, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and soy chorizo and sauté 3 more minutes. Add black beans, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar and keep sautéing for 3 more minutes then turn off heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. The chorizo has a lot of flavor so it’s possible no adjustment is necessary.
With potato masher or fork, mash skillet contents lightly. Also mash cooked sweet potato thoroughly.
In a bowl, combine cooked quinoa, sweet potato, grated carrot, lemon and skillet contents. Mix until everything is well combined. Taste again and adjust salt and pepper.
Spread into an even layer in a greased eight-inch square or oval casserole dish. Sprinkle with optional panko breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is golden brown.
Serve with a few slivers of avocado and enjoy the fiesta in your mouth!