Oddly, the day I moved in one of my new neighbors - we'll call him Bill - was complaining to the property manager that his next door neighbor had roasted garlic and the odor from that roasting had wafted into Bill's home sickening him. While I enjoy the smell of roasted garlic I can certainly understand its strength and its ability to migrate. The property manager gently reminded Bill that he'd initialed a line in his contract stating that smells, noises, and other neighborly unpleasantness are not under the purview of the property manager. Poor Bill. He's stuck with the stink.
I sympathized and then had a horrible thought: I cook tons of aromatic foods! I like the smell of curry but plenty of folks don't share my preference for the pungent. WHAT IF MY NEIGHBOR THINKS MY COOKING SMELLS BAD?! I would prefer that my neighbor not liken me to Pepe Le Pew. Luckily, I also learned that my next-door neighbor lives full time in another local town and that she uses the home on the other side of our shared walls for... well I don't know. I'll come up with a dramatic story involving and illicit lover for her living situation later.
Needless to say, I'm thrilled and to celebrate my newly reinstated license for spices I whipped up a Quinoa Curry Casserole for dinner. I hope you'll enjoy this nutritionally well-rounded dish for both its flavor and its bouquet!
Quinoa Curry Casserole
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth (or just water)
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 cup diced bell pepper - red, yellow or orange
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced tomato
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can chick peas
1 cup plain, greek style yogurt
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 tablespoons curry seasoning blend - to taste
2 tbls chopped flat-leaf parsley
Whole wheat breadcrumbs
salt to taste.
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Saute mushrooms, pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat.
Meanwhile, bring vegetable broth to a boil. Add quinoa and reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes. When 10 minutes has elapsed, add sauteed vegetables, tomatoes, yogurt, eggs, parsley, chickpeas, salt and curry seasoning to quinoa and vegetable broth. Mix well.
Pour the quinoa mixture into a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top with bread crumbs and any additional parsley desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Works as a meatless main dish or a side dish!
